Because there is<\/u> no way to deny that Israel refuses to grant basic civil rights to millions of Palestinians in the territories it has occupied since 1967, the Israeli government and its supporters in the West reflexively smear anyone who refuses to ignore or excuse this injustice using a familiar set of lies.<\/p>\n
That’s why the attacks on Sally Rooney this week, for refusing an Israeli publishing firm’s request to produce a Hebrew translation of her new novel, “Beautiful World, Where Are You,” to honor the Palestinian-led cultural boycott of Israel<\/a>, were so predictable.<\/p>\n Rooney explained in a written statement<\/a> that she was convinced that Israel’s unequal treatment of the Palestinians in the occupied territories was akin to the former apartheid regime in South Africa, justifying an international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions like the successful one against that state.<\/p>\n “Earlier this year, the international campaign group Human Rights Watch published a report<\/a> entitled ‘A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution’. That report, coming on the heels of a similarly damning report<\/a> by Israel\u2019s most prominent human rights organization B’Tselem, confirmed what Palestinian human rights groups have long been saying: Israel’s system of racial domination and segregation against Palestinians meets the definition of apartheid under international law,” Rooney wrote.<\/p>\n “Of course, many states other than Israel are guilty of grievous human rights abuses,” she continued, pre-empting one of the most common objections to BDS raised by supporters of Israel. “This was also true of South Africa during the campaign against apartheid there. In this particular case, I am responding to the call from Palestinian civil society, including all major Palestinian trade unions and writers’ unions.”<\/p>\n But before Rooney released the statement explaining her reasons for joining the boycott, she was accused of being either an anti-Semite, for singling out the world’s only Jewish state for criticism, or a hypocrite, for not taking similar actions to prevent translation of her work into the languages used in authoritarian nations.<\/p>\n “Sally Rooney\u2019s novels are available in Chinese and Russian,” the literary critic Ruth Franklin tweeted<\/a>. “Doesn\u2019t she care about the Uighurs? Or Putin-defying journalists? To judge Israel by a different standard than the rest of the world is antisemitism.”<\/p>\n A London correspondent for Tel Aviv’s i24 News channel chimed in, asking<\/a>, “Will she refuse Russian, Arabic and Chinese publishers, too?”<\/p>\n The next day, an app used by Israel’s government to coordinate the outrage of its supporters on social networks directed them<\/a> to like a Facebook comment “saying that her decision reflects her antisemitic behaviour!”<\/p>\n Israel's anti-BDS app is directing users to post comments on social media accusing novelist Sally Rooney of antisemitism for boycotting an Israeli publisher. #SallyRooney<\/a> #BDS<\/a> @Telegraph<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/izx3Dw4hJr<\/a><\/p>\n — Behind Israel's Troll Army (@AntiBDSApp) October 12, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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