A Palestine-themed alphabet book will remain on the shelf following a review by Falls Church staff, but it’s moving to a different part of the library.
A resident’s complaint in February about “P is for Palestine: A Palestine Alphabet Book” prompted a flood of nearly 4,500 emails to the city, library director Megan Dotzler told the Library Board of Trustees at a meeting last week. The vast majority of emailers called for removing the book, which critics have accused of antisemitism.
Library staff determined that the book does not violate Mary Riley Styles Library’s standards. However, they moved the piece from the picture book section to children’s nonfiction.
That is the more appropriate place for it, Dotzler said, given the “complex topics that will require adult explanations for some children.”
The 2017 book by Golbard Bashi is particularly controversial for a passage titled “I is for ‘Initifada.’” The word, often translated as “uprising,” has disputed connotations.
Supporters of Palestine often use the term to talk about resisting Israel in Gaza and the West Bank, but critics have argued the word is antisemitic and promotes violence against Jews and Israel.
Reading from written remarks during the trustees’ meeting, Dotzler quoted library policy, noting that the library “does not endorse any particular views expressed in the materials it selects.”
Of the thousands of emails the city received about “P is for Palestine,” only about 200 were in favor of retaining the book, library officials said. They noted that most emails on boths sides appeared to be part of coordinated efforts at the national level and were not from Falls Church residents.
The city resident who lodged the initial complaint, who has not been named by library officials, at first sought to appeal the decision to the board of trustees, but later withdrew the request, Dotzler said.
