Writer Elisa Albert, undated. (Courtesy: Elisa Albert)

A panel was canceled at the Albany Book Festival after two writers scheduled to speak boycotted it over the moderator's "Zionist" views.

Zionist author Elisa Albert received an email from festival organizers two days before the panel.

"Not to sugarcoat this," wrote Mark Koplik, Assistant Director of the New York State Writers Institute Mark Koplik, "Aisha Gawad and Lisa Ko don't want to be on a panel with a 'Zionist.'"

In an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Albert said she was not surprised by the message.

"I started drafting a piece in the form of a letter to the two writers who wanted me removed. I wished they had reached out to me directly," Albert said.

Albert's support for 'Israel'

The writer has been vocal about her support for "Israel" amid its ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Albert assumed the event was likely canceled after someone from the panel found her Instagram.

After October 7, when Palestinian Resistance group Hamas launched the Al-Aqsa Flood operation in retaliation to decades of Israeli occupation, Albert's posts consisted of criticizing people she deemed as "hypocrites" who did not understand the "complexities of the conflict."

"Here’s a handy-dandy form letter y’all can send to the brave armchair terror-apologists in your circles," she captioned a post sharing her open letter to supporters of the Resistance group.

The writer said she stands firmly by everything she has posted.

Albert expressed her disappointment with the institution, claiming they betrayed their aim to "increase the freedom of artistic imagination" over her views, which she sees as extreme discrimination, especially since a statement denouncing her beliefs was not issued.

Severing ties with pro-Israeli writers

The one-year mark of the Israeli genocide in Gaza is approaching and a permanent ceasefire is yet to be implemented. However, various industries have sanctioned, divested, and boycotted pro-Israeli products, services, and supporters.

This has extended to the writing industry.

Last month, the book launch of writer Joshua Liefer was canceled after a staff member overseeing the event objected to the "Zionist" moderator.

British-Israeli translator Joanna Chen's essay was removed from Guernica magazine earlier this year due to staff pressure.

Additionally, PEN America canceled its award ceremony after writers chose to boycott the event in response to the organization's "relative silence" on the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Literary prize drops sponsor name for ties with Israeli arms firm

Earlier in September, a major Canadian literary award dropped the name of Scotiabank, its main sponsor, from its title after months of protests concerning the bank's investment in an Israeli arms manufacturer amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Despite the award's rebrand to the Giller Prize, formerly known as the Scotiabank Giller prize, the bank will remain the event's primary sponsor.

The bank's asset management subsidiary has shares in Elbit Systems, "Israel's" largest arms manufacturer, which supplies military equipment to the Israeli security ministry for its aggression in the Gaza Strip.

Demonstrators interrupted the Giller prize ceremony twice in November 2023, protesting against Scotiabank and Elbit Systems, one month after the occupation began its daily bombardment of Gaza. Over 2,000 writers and publishers signed an open letter urging for charges to be dropped against the protesters.

Sarah Bernstein, the prize's 2023 winner, withdrew from a Giller Book Club appearance after organizers informed her that audience questions about the demonstration or Gaza could be edited out.

Over 30 authors eligible for the award withdrew their work from consideration, signing a statement in July.