Israeli minister demands Amazon pull antisemitic books
Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Omer Yankelevich has called on Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos to remove books featuring antisemitic content from the retail giant’s platform.
Blue and White Knesset member Omer Yankelevich attends a Knesset committee meeting, Aug. 5, 2019. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
The appeal followed a study by the ministry’s research centre, which found that Amazon currently carries 40 titles that are antisemitic or deny the Holocaust. Each has sold thousands of copies.
“While the Diaspora Affairs Ministry appreciates Amazon’s efforts to prevent the selling of items that distort the Holocaust, the platform still features a substantial number of books featuring antisemitic content,” Yankelevich wrote to Bezos.
As Amazon is a globally established retailer, “It should not be used to distribute antisemitic lies, rather it should promote knowledge and tolerance,” she wrote.
“We demand Amazon instate an official policy barring the sale of antisemitic titles that promote Holocaust denial and hatred of Jews.”
She offered Amazon her ministry’s full cooperation: “We offer you full use of the resources at the disposal of our monitoring centre, which specializes in detecting and removing such titles in all languages.”
JNS
