A South African novelist and publisher and an Egyptian artist have returned their Goethe Medals due to Germany's complicity in the war on Gaza.

Zukiswa Wanner from South Africa received the medal in 2020, while Egyptian artist Mohamed Abla received the medal in 2022. 

Since 1975, Germany has recognized the Goethe Medal, which was initially presented in 1955, as an official badge of honor. 

In early February, the Nicaraguan government started proceedings to take Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada to the ICJ for their complicity in the genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza by providing the Israeli occupation with weapons and means.

In a letter, Wanner explained that in her travels to Palestine and while visiting occupied territories, she was "shaken" by what she saw as a "writer coming from a country with a history of apartheid."

She added that the "daily injustices and indignities" against Palestinians were evident and that despite German guilt for the Holocaust, the country should make its position "on a current genocide in Palestine all the more shameful."

"I wish that the German government, in reflection and saying ‘never again’ would acknowledge that NEVER AGAIN should be for ANYBODY." Instead, she noted that Germany is, yet again, on the wrong side of history.

Wanner touched on the fact that Germany has been silencing and canceling cultural events by those who are mostly anti-Zionist Jews, citing that she is incapable of remaining silent regarding a government that is "this callous to human suffering."

Mohamed Abla, an Egyptian visual artist, also returned his Goethe medal in solidarity with Palestine. 

According to a post on X by Cairoscene, Alba expressed that artists have a "social responsibility" that cannot be separated from their work life. 

Egyptian Artist Mohamed Abla returns Goethe Medal in solidarity with Palestine. pic.twitter.com/V12OshqO8g

— Writing Africa (@writingafrica_) March 6, 2024

In mid-February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged "Israel" to respect international law amid growing concerns over its planned invasion of the tightly-packed Rafah.

At the Munich Security Conference, Scholz showed support for the Israeli occupation but shed light on how it should adhere to international law, stating, "Israel has the right to defend their own country, and this is what the United States, and what Germany and many others are just stating."

"We are also very clear on the things that are important to be said. So first humanitarian aid has to get to Gaza, and more as we see today. Second, that the way the war is handled is according to international law," he stressed.

When asked by the moderator about the Western response to the Israeli war against Gaza, Scholz criticized the response talking about hypocrisy and double standards as the West has failed to prevent the Israeli occupation from committing its crimes in Gaza. 

Scholz also stated that his government has been expressing its concerns to the Israeli occupation government and stressing their responsibility to adhere to international law.