Israel warning to Berlin from Sands, who won the Peace Prize in Germany

Sands was given the Peace Prize of the German Publishers Association at the ceremony held at Pauls Church in Frankfurt. In the statement made by the jury of the German Publishers Association, Sands was described as one of the most important intellectual voices of the age.

In the statement, it was stated that Sands fought for the determined defense of justice, peace and international law, and that Sands, who comes from a family of Holocaust survivors, explained how international law emerged based on his own family history and what experiences lie behind acts that fall within the scope of "genocide" and "crimes against humanity".

According to the German News Agency (DPA), in his speech at the ceremony, lawyer and writer Sands accused Germany of displaying "immoral silence" in its attitude towards Israel.

'THERE IS NO HIERARCHY AMONG CRIMES'

Sands stated that the issue of whether Israel committed genocide against the Palestinians is not a "futile distraction maneuver" and added, "There is no hierarchy among various international law crimes." he said.

Emphasizing that violations of international law should be expressed especially among friends, Sands said, "This is not anti-Semitism. It is not anti-Israel sentiment. This is reality." he said.

Sands stated that these actions should be condemned, and those who condemn them should not be silenced, excluded or punished just for exercising their freedom of expression and thought, no matter what expression they use.

'IT IS IMMORALITY TO SILENCE THE TRUTH OF CRIMES'

"It is immoral to silence the reality of these crimes. It is also immoral to silence those who seek to condemn the crimes," Sands said. made his assessment.

Stating that Germany condemns many atrocities, Sands said, "However, German silence regarding Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank remains loud to this day." he said.

Pointing out that many countries recognize Palestine as a state, impose sanctions, and describe Israel's actions in the occupied territories as ethnic cleansing, Sands said, "Germany knows everything about ethnic cleansing. So why this silence?" he said.

Sands stated that silence should be broken regarding violations of international law and said, "Silence is not the way to go. Neither for a family, nor for a society, nor for a country." he said.