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Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor: "It seems that the lesson from Documenta has not been understood"

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Fabian Sommer / dpa

After the one-sided statements directed at Israel by filmmakers during the Berlinale, the country's ambassador made strong accusations against the "German cultural scene."

“Anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements” were met with thunderous applause, wrote Ron Prosor late on Sunday evening in the X portal (formerly Twitter).

»It seems that the lesson from Documenta has not been understood.

Under the guise of freedom of speech and art, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric is celebrated.«

The German cultural scene is rolling out the red carpet “exclusively for artists” who are committed to “delegitimizing Israel.”

Prosor demanded: "Your silence, so-called 'cultural elite', is deafening!

It's time to speak out and reject this grotesque charade.

Act now or be part of this shameful legacy forever.”

At the gala on Saturday evening, filmmaker Ben Russell spoke on stage of a "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra called on Germany to stop supplying weapons to Israel.

Adra and three colleagues filmed the documentary “No Other Land” and won the documentary film award for it.

The film is about the displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank.

It was difficult for him to celebrate the award while "tens of thousands of people were being slaughtered in Gaza," Adra said on stage.

The statements sparked a wave of outrage.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), who was in the audience, wrote on X: "The full responsibility for the deep suffering in Israel and the Gaza Strip lies with Hamas."

Hamas alone has the power to "end this suffering by releasing all hostages and laying down their weapons."

Green politician Konstantin von Notz wrote on X about a “perfidious perpetrator-victim reversal.”

A Berlinale spokeswoman told SPIEGEL that they respect the statements of guests and award winners, "these are independent, individual opinions."

They do not reflect the attitude of the festival.

sol/dpa