In Defense of Understanding

Earlier this week, Diesel bookstore in Brentwood, California announced that it was removing from its premises our soon-to-be-published book Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters. The decision followed a complaint by a customer and a subsequent demonstration outside the store demanding the book no longer be sold. The store issued a statement saying that it had taken this action because it was opposed to hate speech, and for the protection of its staff in the face of violent threats received online.

At OR/JWE (Just World Educational, our publishing partners in this project) we are dismayed by the effective banning of our book by Diesel, not least because, in a coincidence rich with irony, it occurs during the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, an initiative designed to oppose the banning of books. We don’t know if anyone at the Diesel store, or the associated protest, has read our book. If they have, they will have discovered that it comprises contributions by a group of distinguished researchers with deep knowledge of Hamas and the Middle East conflict more generally. The book is explicit in stating that it does not advocate for Hamas but instead presents an in-depth consideration of its history, structure, and politics.

With the anniversary of October 7 approaching two things are apparent: First, we should mourn the terrible loss of life on that day and in the year that has followed, mindful of the truth that all individual lives are of equal value. A lasting ceasefire to stop this carnage is needed now. Second, we should recognize that to achieve such a ceasefire we need to look through the distortions and propaganda of politicians and media to see what the parties involved stand for, how history has delivered them to their present stance, and what are their aspirations. Without such an understanding, a resolution to the conflict will be much more difficult.

It is in pursuit of these objectives that we are publishing Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters. We will be hosting an event to discuss issues raised in the book in New York City on October 2nd. C-SPAN will be filming, and we will livestream online. More details are available here. In the meantime, we hope that expressions of opposition to understanding any aspect of this tragic conflict will be seen for the damaging and inhumane absurdity that they are.

OR Books and Just World Educational