ANKARA: A French publisher said many people are trying to muzzle voices critical of Israel in France and announced the re-release of the book ‘The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.’
La Fabrique told Anadolu that the book by renowned Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, which discusses the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people in the context of Israel’s establishment in 1948, will be available again in France from May 2024.
La Fabrique emphasized that the book has become extremely relevant reading in the context of events in Gaza but pointed out that in France, voices critical of Israel are being suppressed.
It cited the cancellation by the Paris Municipality of a conference organized by the Union of French Jews for Peace (UJFP) in which American philosopher and author Judith Butler was invited and which planned to address the use of “critiques of antisemitism as a tool to suppress critical voices.”
Describing the cancellation as an “unacceptable” interference and censorship of freedom of expression, La Fabriqu
e highlighted that in France, interference and censorship have become a kind of habit when it comes to the issue of Palestine.
It noted that those involved in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestine have also faced interference in freedom of expression.
La Fabrique criticized French courts for judging individuals involved in this movement since 2010, suggesting they are among the few courts in the world that have done so.
Pointing out that demonstrations in support of Palestine were allowed to take place in France only after a month passed since the start of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, La Fabrique expressed its concerns about the suppression of rising voices for Palestine in the country.
It also criticized the French government led by President Emmanuel Macron for banning demonstrations in support of Palestine while allowing protests against antisemitism, emphasizing the political “instrumentalization” and hollowing out of the concept of antisemitism.
In France, a protest against
antisemitism was organized in Paris on Nov. 12 at the urging of the President of the National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet, and Senate President Gerard Larcher.
While demonstrations in support of Palestine are consistently blocked for public safety reasons, the government-backed march in support of Israel under the banner of protesting antisemitism has sparked controversy.
Book withdrawn from sale during peak demand
It was reported that the French publishing house Fayard stopped selling “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” from Nov. 7.
After French book sellers brought up the issue, the online literary magazine Actualitte asked Fayard why they halted sales of the book.
In a statement to the magazine, Fayard said they decided to withdraw the book from circulation because the book contract with the author ended on Feb. 27, 2022.
Although the publishing house justified the cessation of the book’s sale with the expiration of the contract, the reason for this decision after roughly 20 months became a subject of
curiosity.
The sale of the book was halted after controversial right-wing French billionaire Vincent Bollore purchased Fayard’s parent company Hachette Livre in November.
According to Edistat, a statistics site that publishes data on book sales in France, 203 out of the 307 copies of the book sold this year found buyers after the start of the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Source: Anadolu Agency