The Goethe-Institut cancelled the reading and conversation The Sea Is There, But We Are Not: Literature from Palestine less than 48 hours before it was scheduled to take place on 25 February 2026, along with the entire Goethe-Institut in Exile project. The event was curated by the Palestinian poet Abdalrahman Alqalaq.

In its closing statement on the project, the institute wrote:
“Against the backdrop of current political developments, multiple global crises and their impact on our work, the Executive Board of the Goethe-Institut has decided to discontinue the Goethe-Institut in Exile programme with immediate effect.”

The reading, which was to feature the Palestinian poets and writers Asmaa Azaizeh (London), Alaa Alqaisi (Dublin), and Ahmed Saleh (Bruchsal), and was to be moderated by literary critic Dr. Maha El Hissy at ACUD in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut in Exile programme, had to be relocated within 24 hours to diffrakt | zentrum für theoretische peripherie, which served as an alternative venue.