Paris Book Fair Opens Under Cloud of Controversy
The Salon du Livre, an international book fair in Paris, opened today
despite the protests of several Arab nations over the selection of
Israel as the festival's guest of honor. The Islamic Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization encouraged its fifty member
nations to boycott because of "crimes against humanity that Israel is
perpetrating in the Palestinian territories." Many publishers,
booksellers, and authors from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Lebanon, Tunisia,
Yemen, Morocco, and Algeria withdrew from the festival, though some
participants from those countries may still attend.
