As a quarterly publication on art and criticism, our editorial and printing schedule make it impossible for us to respond in real time to the political events of the day. Our issue on “Lust” now comes out at an extremely inappropriate time – two months after Hamas’s anti-Semitic terror attack in Israel on October 7 and after the subsequent bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces. Despite these shocking developments, we decided to keep working on this long-planned issue and the social critique it gathers. We would nonetheless like to preface its release with the following remarks:
We mourn those who have lost their lives in the conflict, and our deepest sympathies go to all those who have been directly impacted by the violence; who grieve, or fear for, their loved ones; whose homes have been destroyed. We hope for a lasting cessation of hostilities affecting civilians as well as the release of all hostages. War, terror, and oppression must be brought to an end.
It is also with great concern that we observe the rise of anti-Semitic aggression and anti-Arab racism in Germany and elsewhere, the polarized public debate, and threats to the freedom of opinion – not least in the culture sector. The delegitimization and criminalization of public mourning and peaceful forms of protest is disquieting, as is the absence of official critical reactions to how Israel’s right-wing nationalist government has carried out the war. Meanwhile, we expressly reject any attempt to downplay the atrocities the radical Islamist Hamas committed by associating them with a struggle for Palestinian liberation.
Parts of the political and cultural left seem to be irrevocably divided. But there are still voices that urge empathy and repudiate both anti-Semitism and anti-Arab racism. We believe it is incumbent upon us to offer these voices – in particular, those of Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims, people affected by the events and members of diasporic communities in Germany speaking in solidarity with them – a potential venue for dialogue and critical engagement.
The publisher and editors of TEXTE ZUR KUNST
Berlin, December 5, 2023
Editors’ note: The above text was included in the print issue as an inlay dated November 17. Due to the changing situation in Israel-Palestine, it has been updated for online publication. There will be no further updates after December 5.
