Philippe Sands has been awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade at the conclusion of the Frankfurt Book Fair, per dw.com.
Speaking in the presence of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Franco-British human rights lawyer and author used his acceptance speech to criticise Germany for its “inappropriate silence” over Israel’s military actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
The jury honoured the University College London law professor and International Court of Justice advocate as a dedicated humanist fighting for human rights, justice and universal protections against war crimes, torture and colonial injustice.
Addressing the audience in Frankfurt, Sands argued that calling out human rights violations amongst allies is essential rather than anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. While condemning the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks as an appalling violation of international law and acknowledging Israel’s inherent right to self-defence, he insisted that such defence must remain strictly within international legal boundaries.
Sands, a descendant of Ukrainian Jews displaced during the Second World War, drew on historical context to challenge the host nation. Referring to his acclaimed 2016 work East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, he questioned why Germany remained silent given its own history with ethnic cleansing, stating that silence is never the appropriate path for a country.
The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is one of Germany’s most prestigious cultural accolades, traditionally presented at the end of the annual Frankfurt Book Fair to individuals whose literary and scholarly work promotes peace, justice and inter-cultural understanding.
- Featured image: Philippe Sands/Hannes P. Albert/dpa/picture alliance