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• Syrian-Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib accuses German govt of complicity in Gaza
• Germany’s Environment Minister Carsten Schneider calls remarks ‘unacceptable’, leaves ceremony
• Speech caps a film festival punctuated by repeated condemnations of Israel’s action in Gaza
BERLIN: A German minister walked out of the Berlin Film Festival’s awards ceremony after a prize-winning director accused Germany of being complicit in what he called a “genocide” by Israel in Gaza, capping an event punctuated by repeated condemnations of Israel’s ‘genocide’ in the Gaza.
Social Democratic Environment Minister Carsten Schneider left the ceremony on Saturday evening because of the “unacceptable” remarks, a spokesperson for his ministry said on Sunday.
Schneider was the only member of the German government in attendance, though his ministry said he was not officially representing it.
The accusation came from Syrian-Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib, who won the Best First Feature Award for his film Chronicles from the Siege.
“The German government are partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel,” Al-Khatib said in his acceptance speech. “I believe you are intelligent enough to recognise this truth, but you choose to not care.”
Al-Khatib, standing on stage with a keffiyeh scarf on his shoulder, acknowledged the sensitivity of his statement. “Some people told me, maybe you have to be careful before you say what I want to say now, because you are a refugee in Germany, and there are so many red lines. But I don’t care. I care about my people, about Palestine.”
The walkout and the speech highlighted the deep divisions over the Gaza war at the 76th edition of the festival, which has a reputation for being more political than its peers in Cannes and Venice.
The German government has consistently supported Israeli actions, despite widespread condemnation from human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Genocide Watch, which have labelled the large-scale civilian casualties in Gaza as genocide in the aftermath of the October 7 attack.
The incident drew swift condemnation from German politicians.
Alexander Hoffmann, a leading member of the conservative Christian Social Union, denounced what he called “repugnant scenes” of “anti-Semitic” remarks during the ceremony.
The mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, told the newspaper Bild that “The open display of hatred towards Israel is in direct contradiction with what this festival represents.”
Discussions about Israel’s military actions are particularly sensitive in Germany due to historical guilt for the Nazi Holocaust, a policy known as “Staatsraison” that makes Israel’s security a top national priority.
Israel has strongly denied accusations that its assault on Gaza amounts to genocide, maintaining its actions are justified as self-defence. Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, praised the minister’s response to the speech. “Respect for Minister Schneider and his moral clarity,” Prosor told Bild.
The festival was fraught with tension over the conflict from the start. Before it began, more than 80 film professionals signed an open letter criticising the Berlinale’s “silence” on the war and accusing it of censoring artists who condemned Israel’s actions.
Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2026
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