The civilian population in Gaza absolutely must be better protected, said Foreign Cultural Policy Commissioner Anna Bartels at the opening of the Arabic Book Fair in Berlin last Friday. She pleads for more empathy for each other's suffering.

Anna Bartels is familiar with the Arab world. The daughter of a diplomat, she was born in Lebanon and grew up in Syria, Egypt and Jordan. After graduation, she worked in Palestine. As a result, she was able to give parts of her opening speech at the Arabic Book Fair in Arabic.

Disastrous situation‍

It was almost a year since Hamas' brutal attack on Israel, and the military conflict in Gaza had already lasted almost a year. The humanitarian situation is disastrous. Regional tensions also intensified.

“All efforts to achieve a ceasefire have so far been in vain. It is absolutely essential that the civilian population in Gaza be better protected.” The numerous Israeli hostages must also finally be released. ‍

New peace process

‍The federal government is politically committed to a two-state solution. “The region needs a new peace process that will allow both — Israelis and Palestinians alike — to live side by side in peace and security, in two independent states. ”

In view of the tremendous suffering in the region, it seems like an imposition and overwhelming challenge to attribute a peacemaking role to culture. But literature could be a tool for peace. This tool could create understanding and empathy for each other's suffering. ‍

“Seeing the suffering of others”‍

Bartels quoted her boss, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock — “I am firmly convinced that seeing the suffering of others makes us all safer when we consider the needs of others” — and added: “We also have this obligation to dialogue and understanding between Europe and the Arab world.” This claim is the basic idea of German foreign policy and foreign cultural policy.

The diplomat sees the Arabic Book Fair as “a fascinating instrument.” Literature brings people together across borders and creates a space for dialogue. This helps “to empathize with other people's feelings and ways of thinking.” This is particularly important now that the world is so heavily influenced by geopolitical upheavals and cruel conflicts.

As a diplomat, she must face the realities in order to be able to build bridges. “In hardly any other conflict are the realities as cruel and the hope for bridges as remote as in the Near and Middle East. ” ‍

Eko