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Hamas prevents Arabic fiction award finalist from leaving Gaza

Palestian writer Atef Abu Saif has been nominated for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction but was stopped by security services from attending the announcement in Morocco.
Rabat, MOROCCO: Visitors attend the 13th edition of the Casablanca International Book Fair, 13 February 2007. The event gathers some 600 exhibitors from sixty different countries. The Justice and Development party (PJD) accused the Ministry of Culture of preventing Islamic publishing companies from exhibiting.  AFP PHOTO / ABDELHAK SENNA (Photo credit should read ABDELHAK SENNA/AFP/Getty Images)
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — “A Suspended Life,” a novel by Gazan writer Atef Abu Saif, has made it to the finals for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. The news was announced during the Casablanca International Publishing and Book Fair on Feb. 13.

Despite the prominence of the cultural and literary products of the Gaza Strip, the security apparatus in Gaza does not seem to appreciate this richness. The Hamas-affiliated security services stopped Abu Saif at the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing Feb. 4, preventing him from making it to the book fair in Morocco.

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