The Palestine Laboratory becomes best-seller (in New Zealand)
Societal unease around mass surveillance is growing by the week, and Israel is one of the world leaders in spyware.
Releasing a new book is akin to having a baby (though frankly, far less work). You spend years working on it and then it’s thrust into the world. You just hope it connects with readers and provokes/upsets/satisfies them.
The recent launch of my new book, The Palestine Laboratory, in the US, UK + Australia and New Zealand, was such a moment. I’d hoped its message and research would resonate across the globe at a moment when the Israeli government has never been so brazenly racist and the occupation of Palestine so unashamedly aggressive.
I continue to be overwhelmed with the positive response to the book, especially from people in multiple countries who write to tell me that they weren’t aware of the sheer extent of Israeli collusion in 20th and 21st century worldwide repression. I’ve been discussing this far and wide including my interviews on US prime-time TV MSNBC and Democracy Now!
I’m excited to share that my book will be translated into four languages/countries/regions - Arabic, Italian, South Korean and Turkish with hopefully more to come - which will widen its global reach.
Then the cherry on top. I recently visited New Zealand on a book tour, travelling around the country with multiple events in many cities, and soon after my departure I discovered that The Palestine Laboratory was a top-ten best-seller there, nestled amongst some super high-profile books that have sold millions of copies:
I’d loved New Zealand before this news and now I love the nation even more!
It shows that the Overton Window is widening on Palestine (along with attitudes around transnational repression, mass surveillance et al).
In the last month, I’ve spoken to a range of media outlets about my book, Israeli extremism, the threat of Jewish theocracy and how the risk of complete mass surveillance has never been closer.
Here’s a great, well-produced interview on Al Jazeera’s flagship podcast, The Take:
My interview with Yousef Munayyer from the Arab Centre Washington DC:
Solid conversation on Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps about my book, Zionism, Jewish ties to Israel and what a more democratic country in the Middle East could look like:
Here’s the other recent media highlights:
The UK Independent newspaper wrote about the book (back in February, some early interest);
A great review in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs;
My article in global broadcaster TRT World about my book and how a key opponent of Israel’s arms industry lives in an illegal Jewish settlement in the West Bank (yes, this is deeply problematic);
My interview with TRT World headlined, “Can Zionists become Palestinian allies?”
During my recent book tour in New Zealand, I spoke to a huge number of media outlets including the prominent right-wing network Newstalk ZB (though it was a friendly interview and then written up in the country’s biggest newspaper, the New Zealand Herald). There was also an interesting conversation with a Catholic magazine;
Interview with the US-based Foundation for Middle East Peace;
Strong review in the UK Socialist Worker;
Palestine Remembered is the only English-language Palestinian radio program in Australia so I was happy to be interviewed by its host;
A worrying development, with Elon Musk’s X (ex-Twitter) reportedly partnering with Israeli digital ID company AU10TIX to verify users. In response, the US-based advocacy group Institute for Public Accuracy issued a press statement, around my book, to warn people of the dangers of such collaboration;
Long interview with Californian radio station, KPFA, and its weekly program, Voices of the Middle East and North Africa;
My interview with one of the better podcast names out there, The Hipstorians;
I also wear the hat of co-founder and co-editor of Declassified Australia, an investigative news website that tackles Australia’s relations with the world.
In the last month, we’ve published three blockbuster stories by three talented writers:
Australian universities are increasingly moving into Indonesia but the record is less than rosy;
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the new frontier for warfare and Australia (along with rest of the world) is moving ahead with barely any guardrails;
Nicky Hager is a world leading investigative journalist. He gave a compelling speech about his craft in 2022 and we republished parts of it to show how it’s done.
Declassified Australia relies on public donations to thrive so please consider supporting us.
The book tour for The Palestine Laboratory continues.
On 12 September, I’ll be speaking in Adelaide, Australia.
On 28 September, via Zoom, I’ll be in conversation with one of the co-founders of BDS, Omar Barghouti, in an event organised by two dissenting Jewish organisations, Jews Against The Occupation and Tzedek.
On 18-22 October, I’ll be speaking at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali, Indonesia on Palestine, authoritarianism and AI. It’s an exciting opportunity to discuss these issues in the world’s biggest Muslim nation.
Beyond my book, I’ve been working on other projects and stories (including some films that I hope I can discuss publicly soon).
Here’s my essay in the US outlet, The Markaz, on the wonderful new book by writer Anjan Sundaram, Break-Up: A Reporter’s Marriage Amid A Central African War. My story is about the book but also the wider ways in which Africa is often ignored in the Western press.
My interview on global broadcaster TRT World about Israel’s decades-long mistreatment of African asylum seekers and refugees (an issue I’ve reported on for years including in The Guardian, from South Sudan, in 2015):
My interview on Sky News Australia on the Australian government’s hesitation in challenging Israel despite its embrace of far-right politics:
I’ve also been working on two big stories, both out soonish, on the Murdoch media and climate change and the rise of the doomsday prepper movement.
For more information about my work, you can find my newsletter archive here and website here.
Thanks for reading, take care and cause trouble.