Renowned British novelist Ian McEwan has accepted an Israeli literary prize in Jerusalem with harsh criticism of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

At an acceptance ceremony for the Jerusalem Prize, McEwan praised Israel's technological and artistic advances but asked: "Where is Israel's political creativity?"

He criticized Israel's 1967 annexation of east Jerusalem, the part Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state.

McEwan is the author of the best-selling book Atonement and has won numerous literary prizes for his books.

Some Palestinian and British writers have protested McEwan's acceptance of the prize because of Israeli policies toward Palestinians.

In his lecture Sunday, McEwan defended his visit to Israel, saying it encourages dialogue.