Major Authors Back Sally Rooney on Boycott of Israeli Publisher

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Some 70 prominent authors, poets, and playwrights have signed a letter of endorsement in support of Irish author Sally Rooney's decision to prevent Israeli publishing house "Modan" from translating her latest work, "Beautiful World, Where Are You," into Hebrew.

The author had received a spew of hatred against her pro-Palestinian decision, which the letter described as "an exemplary response to the mounting injustices inflicted on Palestinians."

Additionally, Rooney had signed a letter in May, alongside 1,600 artists, condemning the Israeli occupation's crimes. They titled the letter "A Letter Against Apartheid," and in it, they said, "Israeli apartheid was sustained by international complicity, it is our collective responsibility to redress this harm."

The letter was signed by Irish authors Niamh Campbell, Kevin Barry, Ronan Bennett, and many other prominent names. The author also received support from the US from Rachel Kushner, Eileen Myles, and Eliot Weinberger, and the UK from Monica Ali, Caryl Churchill, China Mieville, and others.

Two bookshop chains, which own outlets in "Israel" and West Bank settlements, said they were pulling Rooney's works from their shops in retaliation of her decision.

The signatories affirmed their commitment to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause alike, saying, "Like her, we will continue to respond to the Palestinian call for effective solidarity, just as millions supported the campaign against apartheid in South Africa."

The letter also referred to the Human Rights Watch's conclusion in April that the Israeli occupation was committing apartheid and persecution. It also underscored Rooney's signing of the aforementioned letter, "A Letter Against Apartheid," which called for "an immediate and unconditional cessation of Israeli violence against Palestinians."

The authors' support for Rooney is pivotal for the Palestinian cause worldwide, as it reflects a decrease in global complicity with the Israeli crimes against Palestinians. It also received support from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of "Israel," which saluted the authors who signed the letter in support of Rooney.

The founding member of BDS said Rooney's decision was one to "stand in firm solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice, and equality by turning down a contract with a publisher that is complicit in Israel’s apartheid regime."

The letter in full can be found here.

You can also read about Sally Rooney's defiance of "Israel" through her decision in an article written by Al Mayadeen's own, Ali Hamouch, here.