Gaza -‘Israeli’ writer Tamar Raphael issued a detailed public statement on Saturday after facing a wave of online harassment over comments she made at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where she stated that ‘Israel’ had committed genocide in Gaza.
The backlash began following a Friday report in the Hebrew edition of Haaretz, which noted that Raphael who lives in Berlin and attended the fair as part of the Culture Ministry-supported ‘Israeli’ pavilion wore a Palestinian-flag pin and openly criticized ‘Israel’s’ actions.
The report spread rapidly across social media, amplified by right-wing influencers, and sparked nearly 2,000 hostile replies, including threats of rape and murder.
Among those targeting her were well-known far-right personalities, including activist-rapper Yoav “The Shadow” Eliassi and Channel 14 host Yinon Magal, a vocal supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Despite the hostility, Raphael also received expressions of solidarity. Hadash-Ta’al Knesset member Ayman Odeh publicly supported her, and the literary magazine she writes for also defended her stance.
On Saturday, Raphael released her own account of the events.
“I was invited to participate in the Israeli delegation to the largest book fair in the world,” she wrote.
“I agreed, because anyone who writes a book wants to talk about it. The fact is that I’m an Israeli who opposes Israel’s policy, an Israeli who calls genocide by its name and who is interested in international recognition of a Palestinian state and its establishment alongside the State of Israel. Participation in the Israeli delegation while expressing these positions is a coherent act that I am comfortable with morally and politically.”
Her explanation triggered another surge of online criticism.
Speaking to Haaretz, she said turning down the invitation would have meant erasing her own voice. “From my standpoint, turning down the invitation to the delegation would have been boycotting myself. Not participating for political reasons would be boycotting Israeli culture. I wouldn’t do that.”
Raphael emphasized that her work is rooted in dialogue with Hebrew readers. “I’m writing in Hebrew for a Hebrew audience. Avoidance is the wrong sort of politics. It was clear to me that I would be the only one who would express such an opinion, but public money belongs to everyone, and this is a voice that exists among the public, among readers and certainly readers of my book.”
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She described her participation as an intentional act of political engagement. “From my standpoint, it was absolutely coherent and a political act using proper political means, and it was the little that I could do to amplify a voice that I thought was sane and correct.”
Addressing the threats, Raphael said they reflect the broader climate in ‘Israeli’ public discourse. “It’s obviously disgusting, and the sheer number of responses is disgusting, but it reflects the Israeli mainstream, which includes voices like The Shadow’s and people like him.”
She added that she felt compelled to respond publicly once the situation escalated. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of this, but from the moment it got out, I had to address it.”
Despite the uproar, Raphael said her core position remains unchanged. “From my standpoint, calling for the end of the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel within the framework of a two-state solution based on the Green Line, recognizing the crimes that Israel committed and continues to commit, that’s the most important thing.”