Overview
- The publishers announced the Hebrew translation on Tuesday as a collaboration between November Books, +972 Magazine and Local Call and said the book will be available in June.
- Rooney and the publishers say the deal meets BDS institutional guidelines because November Books does not operate in West Bank settlements, takes no state funding and affirms Palestinian rights, and they say they consulted PACBI during the process.
- Some Palestinian writers and activists publicly criticized the move as creating loopholes that weaken the spirit of the cultural boycott and said it risks normalizing Israeli institutions rather than pressuring them.
- Coverage of the decision split along ideological lines, with left‑leaning outlets stressing legal compliance and cultural access and right‑leaning outlets framing the move as an extension of Rooney’s anti‑Israel activism.
- The announcement follows Rooney’s 2021 refusal to sell Hebrew rights unless an Israeli publisher publicly distanced itself from apartheid, and the outcome could shape how future cultural boycotts treat small non‑state Israeli actors.