Hannah Arendt would not qualify for the Hannah Arendt prize in Germany today | Samantha Hill

The irony of Masha Gessen almost not being awarded the prize because of their writings on Gaza is almost too thick too cut

This past weekend the prominent Russian-American journalist and writer Masha Gessen was awarded the prestigious Hannah Arendt prize for political thought under police protection in Germany. But the event, which was to be a grand ceremony hosted by the Heinrich Boll Foundation in the city hall of Bremen in north-west Germany, almost did not happen at all after Gessen published an essay in the New Yorker comparing Gaza before 7 October to the Jewish ghettoes of Nazi-occupied Europe.

The Foundation, which is affiliated with the German Green party, founded the prize not to honor Arendt but to honor individuals who identify critical and unseen aspects of current political events and who are not afraid to enter the public realm by representing their opinion in controversial political discussions", withdrew its support, causing the city of Bremen to withdraw its support, leading to an initial cancellation of the event altogether. The Foundation said Gessen's comparison was unacceptable", but has since backtracked and has now said that they stand behind the award.