From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 28, 2024
Sally Rooney among 1,000 authors calling to boycott Israeli cultural institutions
Irish author Sally Rooney is among some 1,000 authors and literary professionals who sign a pledge to boycott Israeli cultural institutions, the UK’s Guardian reports.
Joining Rooney are authors Arundhati Roy and Rachel Kushner signing the letter vowing to boycott Israeli cultural institutions that “are complicit or have remained silent observers of the overwhelming oppression of Palestinians.”
According to the report, the signatories pledge not to work with Israeli publishers, festivals, literary agencies and publications that are “complicit in violating Palestinian rights,” including “whitewashing and justifying Israel’s occupation, apartheid, or genocide.”
The campaign is organized by the Palestine Festival of Literature.
Rooney is a long-time Israel critic who has refused to allow her Israeli publisher to translate her books into Hebrew.
According to The Jewish Chronicle, UK Lawyers for Israel, a legal advocacy group, says the letter is “plainly discriminatory against Israelis,” citing the UK Equality Act 2010 and other discriminatory legislation from around the world.
“This boycott is plainly discriminatory against Israelis. The authors do not impose similar conditions on publishers, festivals, literary agencies, or publications of any other nationality,” the UKLFI writes in a letter to the Publishers Association.
