Jerusalem: Literary festivals around the world tend to run into controversies. Here in Jerusalem, the third International Writers Festival at Mishkenot Sha’ananim, has not been without its share of controversy, though beyond the borders of Israel. Boualem Sansal, well-known Algerian writer, has kicked up a storm at home and across the Maghreb and Mashreq by participating in this year’s festival. Possibly Arundhati Roy is also in a rage though it’s doubtful she would have heard of Sansal before the storm broke.

But Sansal is not a faint-hearted man who is scared easily or recants to buy peace. Participating in a public reading event at the famous Tmol Shilshom café, he lashed out at his critics and those who seek to delegitimise Israel. “When I accepted this invitation I became the target of condemnation, but I decided to come because it was important,” Sansal said, pointing out it was absurd to boycott a country to appear to be politically correct. “I said, ‘What are we boycotting? This is a country with a flag that flies in the institutions of the international community’.”