A major French publishing house has reportedly withdrawn copies of Ilan Pappé’s pivotal work, ‘The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine,’ from its shelves amid the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza.
According to a recent report from the French website ActuaLitté, the book has been unavailable since November 7, prompting concern among customers. Notably, this withdrawal occurred one month into Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Written by Israeli historian Ilan Pappé and published in 2006, the book is regarded as a significant exploration of the violent expulsion of around 720,000 Palestinians from their communities in 1948, clearing the path for the establishment of Israel. Praised for challenging the Israeli narrative on the 1948 events, often referred to as Nakba or the “Catastrophe” by Arabs, Pappé’s work has been consistently recommended for a deeper understanding of the mass dispossession and displacement of Palestinians 75 years ago.
Fayard, based in Paris, had been distributing the book since 2008 and, according to data from the French website Edistat, managed to sell at least 307 copies this year alone. Notably, between October 9 and November 12, approximately 158 copies of the book were sold, underscoring its sustained relevance and popularity.
