On the occasion of the award of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade to the Israeli author David Grossman, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issued the following statement in Berlin today (10 June):

”Please accept my sincere congratulations on being awarded this year’s Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.

Your impressive body of work issues a signal of reconciliation in Israeli-Palestinian relations. In your writings, you analyze the situation of the two sides with both impartiality and clear-sightedness, and with profound respect for those who think differently. The fact that you are able to do this so impressively given your own personal experiences is key to the special character of your work. Through your writings, you give a voice to all those who are not heard, or who have resigned themselves to saying nothing. You have thus become a model for many people all around the world.“