Joining growing calls for a boycotting Israel, Irish author Sally Rooney has posted an official statement clarifying her position after being accused of antisemitism.
Rooney's latest book "Beautiful World, Where Are You" has received a deal by Israeli publishing house Modan to translate her book into Hebrew. Yet, the Irish author has turned down the offer in support of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Sally Rooney explains her position.
— Dr. Yara Hawari د. يارا هواري (@yarahawari) October 12, 2021
“...many states other than Israel are guilty of grievous human rights abuses...in this case I am responding to the call from Palestinian civil society, including all major Palestinian trade unions and writers’ unions.”https://t.co/vzK9pL7bqD
full statement from Sally Rooney on choosing to boycott an Israeli publishing house, via her agent: pic.twitter.com/q3CMAG4NKT
— Mari Cohen (@maricohen95) October 12, 2021
After online backlash accusing her of antisemitism, Sally Rooney posted a statement clarifying that her refusal is not to translate her work into the Hebrew language, but to have it translated by an Israeli publisher, highlighting that "she is proud that a number of her previous books have been translated into Hebrew".
Rooney's statement cited a well-known report that was issued by Human Rights Watch last April, concluding that "Israeli practices in Palestinian occupied territories qualify as Apartheid practices".
The bad faith misrepresentations of the decision by Sally Rooney to turn down the publishing house Modan as boycotting an entire language are a deliberate smear to vilify someone taking a principled stand in support of the people of Palestine.
— Aydin Dikerdem (@AydinDikerdem) October 12, 2021
While pro-Israel attacks continued on Rooney, many online people condemned linking her political stance to antisemitism or being connected to the Hebrew language, saying that such smear campaigns have "regularly targeted voices that criticize Israeli practices against Palestinians to detour the conversation away and distract BDS efforts".
Written by Riham Darwish
