Australia library removes Gaza book pending review

SYDNEY, Australia (MNTV) — Waverley Library has removed a book critical of media coverage of Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, a decision that has drawn condemnation as an act of censorship against Palestinian perspectives.

The library in Bondi Junction withdrew Adam Johnson’s How to Sell a Genocide after a complaint was made about its display among new releases, placing a work on Israel’s military campaign under review rather than defending the public’s right to access it.

Waverley Council said it would consider imposing greater oversight on book selection, raising concerns that political pressure could determine which accounts of Israel’s actions in Gaza are permitted in a public institution.

Published by Pluto Press, the book examines what the publisher describes as U.S. media complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza, during which Palestinians have faced mass killing, displacement and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network condemned the removal, saying libraries have a duty to make challenging material available rather than suppress perspectives that expose Palestinian suffering or criticize Israeli policy.

Johnson rejected claims that referring to Israel’s actions as genocide was outside mainstream debate, pointing to the assessments of human rights groups and experts who have raised grave concerns over Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

Pluto Press said the public has a clear interest in examining how the Gaza war has been reported.