If you spent any time online yesterday, you definitely heard about the furore surrounding the Hebrew translation of the new novel from Sally Rooney; she’s almost certainly the biggest author in the world after all.

Beautiful World, Where Are You was released in September to strong acclaim, her follow-up to the hugely successful Normal People.

Rooney then found herself at the centre of an unexpected controversy after refusing to allow her new novel to be translated into Hebrew by the Israeli publisher Modan, as per BBC. She stated her decision was a show of support for calls to boycott Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

She also insisted that it would “be an honour” to have it translated into Hebrew by another company which possessed a better political position. Her previous two novels, it should be noted, were translated into Hebrew.

Accusations of anti-Semitism were not far around the corner, with senior Israeli ministers suggesting that Rooney’s boycott was an example of anti-Semitism. Misinformation was rife, with many saying Rooney had refused for her novel to be translated into Hebrew at all, rather than just by one specific publisher.

The accusations prompted Rooney to clarify her stance. She cited a recent report by Human Rights Watch which accused Israel of practising apartheid: Rooney said that her decision was in support of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As she stated, she couldn’t “accept a new contract with an Israeli company that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people.

The Hebrew-language translation rights to my new novel are still available, and if I can find a way to sell these rights that is compliant with the BDS movement’s institutional boycott guidelines, I will be very pleased and proud to do so.”

This isn’t the first time Rooney – a self-proclaimed Marxist – has backed Palestine: earlier this year, she signed an open letter in support of Palestinian artists and writers accusing Israel of crimes against the Palestinian people.

The Israel and Palestine debate is always a fierce one and it’s almost perplexing to see Rooney’s romance novel find itself in the midst of it. Vitriol and acceptance poured out from social media in equal measure.

Israel’s Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai was unmoved by the author’s clarification: “The cultural boycott of Israel, anti-Semitism in a new guise, is a certificate of poor conduct for her and others who behave like her.”

Others pointed to countries such as China, who also have troubling human rights issues, which Rooney also moved to counter, saying in her statement,  “Of course, many states other than Israel are guilty of grievous human rights abuses . . . In this particular case, I am responding to the call from Palestinian civil society, including all major Palestinian trade unions and writers’ unions.”

Don’t be expecting Rooney to be touring in support of her novel in Israel anytime soon. As a writer, she has made the decision that she feels is correct and the decision that aligns most with her own politics; whether you agree or disagree with her, her commitment to authenticity is important.

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