Over 400 authors back controversial anti-Israel boycott

More than 400 British authors have signed an open letter accusing Israel of “genocide” and calling for a boycott of Israeli cultural institutions, which they allege are complicit in the “oppression of Palestinians.”

Among the signatories are prominent writers, including "Normal People" author Sally Rooney and Booker Prize-winner Arundhati Roy, author of "The God of Small Things."

The letter, organized by the Palestine Festival of Literature (PFL), includes a commitment to boycott Israeli publishers, literary festivals, agencies, and publications that, in the authors’ view, have been “silent observers” of Israel’s role in the Gaza conflict.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), a legal advocacy group, has condemned the letter, circulated by the organization Fossil Free Books (FFB), as “plainly discriminatory against Israelis” and pointed to possible legal implications under the UK Equality Act 2010 and other international anti-discrimination laws.

In a letter to the Publishers Association, UKLFI Chief Executive Jonathan Turner stated: “This boycott is plainly discriminatory against Israelis. The authors do not impose similar conditions on publishers, festivals, literary agencies, or publications of any other nationality.”

* The Jewish Chronicle contributed to this article.