5,000 Writers Unite Against Complicit Israeli Cultural Institutions

Over 5,000 authors and publishing professionals have united to support an anti-apartheid boycott of Israeli publishing institutions.

on Nov 05, 2024

Five Thousand Writers Boycott Israel Culture

In under 48 hours, over 5,000 authors, publishing professionals, and publishers—many of whom are leading figures in the publishing industry—joined our collective initiative to advocate for an anti-apartheid boycott of Israeli publishing institutions that complicity support and sanitize the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.

This boycott effort—the most extensive cultural boycott pledge ever undertaken by the international literary community regarding the Israeli cultural arena—was coordinated by a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups, such as the Palestine Festival of Literature, Publishers for Palestine, and Writers Against the War on Gaza.

In the week following the publication of their letter, an impressive 5,500 additional writers and book professionals have endorsed the boycott pledge.

Well-known authors who have recently added their names include John Cusack (who co-authored a book of essays and conversations with Arundhati Roy in 2016), Robert Macfarlane, Michael Rosen, Jesmyn Ward, Katie Kitamura, Benjamin Moser, Helen Macdonald, Kiese Laymon, Akwaeke Emezi, Chris Kraus, Merve Emre, Yuri Herrera, Paul B. Preciado, Rob Delaney, Anne Waldman, Deborah Eisenberg, Mark Haddon, Ronan Bennett, Jeff Halper, Kevin Barry, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Damon Galgut, Aleksandar Hemon, Laila Lalami, Annie Baker, Sapphire, Robin Coste Lewis, Tom McCarthy, Saul Williams, Daniel Alarcón, and Greta Thunberg.