German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider withdrew from the closing ceremony of the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday, after Palestinian director Abdullah Al-Khatib accused the government of supporting "genocide" in Gaza, sparking an intense debate about freedom of expression. Al-Khatib said: “My final word to the German government. You are complicit in the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. I think you are smart enough to realize this fact, but you choose not to care.” He concluded, "Palestine is free... until the end of the world."

Published on: 02/22/2026 - 19:24 Last updated: 02/23/2026 - 08:22

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider withdrew from the closing ceremony of the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday, his ministry confirmed on Sunday, after director Abdullah Al-Khatib accused the German government of supporting “the genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.”

Al-Khatib won an award for his film “Incidents of the Time of Siege.” The Palestinian director, born in Damascus, stood on the stage wearing a keffiyeh over his shoulder. He said in his speech: “We will remember everyone who stood with us, and we will remember everyone who stood against us” in the war that broke out on October 7, 2023, following the Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Read also: The Turkish-language film “Yellow Letters” wins the Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival

Al-Khatib's controversial speech

Al-Khatib said: “Some people told me that maybe I should be careful before I say what I will say now because I am a refugee in Germany, and there are many red lines. But I don’t care. I care about my people and Palestine.”

He continued: "My final word to the German government. You are complicit in the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. I think you are smart enough to realize this fact, but you choose not to care." He concluded, "Palestine is free... until the end of the world."

The German Ministry confirmed that Schneider left the awards ceremony “during the speech” due to “unacceptable” statements. She explained that Carsten was "the only representative of the government" at this ceremony, although his participation was not "official."

Mixed official and artistic reactions

The German newspaper Bild quoted Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor as saying that the festival's reputation would be damaged "if it turns into a platform for Israel's enemies."

The mayor of the capital, Kai Wegener, considered that "declared hatred for Israel contradicts what this festival represents," criticizing artists who "present themselves as pro-Palestinian activists."

The seventy-sixth session of the prestigious film festival witnessed intense debate over the war that destroyed the Strip and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis for its population, which exceeds two million people.

The controversy was sparked by the head of the jury, German director Wim Wenders, after he responded to a question about Gaza by saying, “We must stay away from politics.” He added at the same press conference that films have the power to “change the world,” but in a different way than politics.

In a joint statement, more than eighty directors and actors, including Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton, denounced the festival's "silence" toward the besieged Palestinian Strip, expressing their "dissatisfaction" with its "involvement in imposing censorship on artists who oppose the ongoing Israeli genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza."

Festival director Tricia Tuttle rejected these accusations, stressing that the festival supports "freedom of expression within the limits of German law." She stressed that she realizes that the message stems from "the depth of anger and frustration over the suffering of the people of Gaza."

France 24/AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.