Overview
- A joint announcement Tuesday by November Books, +972 Magazine and Local Call confirmed a Hebrew translation of Intermezzo will be published in Israel and Palestine through November Books.
- Rooney said she consulted PACBI, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, during negotiations to ensure the publication met both the letter and spirit of the boycott.
- Publishers and Rooney say November Books was cleared because it does not operate in West Bank settlements, receives no state funding and publicly recognises Palestinian rights.
- The decision has drawn sharp criticism from some Palestinian writers and activists who argue it creates loopholes that weaken the boycott, while supporters say conditional engagement preserves the campaign’s focus on institutional complicity.
- Boycott organisers previously said they reviewed about 98 Israeli publishers and identified November Books as the only house meeting exemption criteria, a fact that could reshape how cultural sanctions are applied and how Hebrew readers access contested works.