Susan Sontag Accepts Award, Voices Criticism
Over the pleas of peace activists in Israel, American writer Susan Sontag accepted the country’s top literary award--but used her speech to criticize the Jewish state’s treatment of Palestinians.
Some activists had pressured Sontag, 68, not to accept the Jerusalem Prize, saying it would be seen as indirect support for hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Sontag , who is also known as a human rights activist, said she opposes collective punishment for Palestinians and favors dismantling Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
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