What is Palestine Action? Sally Rooney Books to No Longer Be Sold in U.K. Over Ties to Group

Copies of Irish author Sally Rooney’s book 'Intermezzo' are pictured in a book shop in London on Sept.

24, 2024. —Ben Stansall—AFP/Getty Images Sally Rooney ’s publisher said the Irish author will no longer sell her books in the U.K. after the country banned a pro-Palestinian group she promised to financially support.

Rooney had pledged to donate royalties from her bestselling novels , which include ‘ Intermezzo ’ and ‘ Normal People ,’ to Palestine Action, a group banned as a terrorist organization by the British government.

Her publisher, Faber, said in a statement on Wednesday that it decided to no longer supply her work “in the U.K. in any format.” “Current legislation in the U.K. has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on U.K. earnings to Sally Rooney for her work.

To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher,” Faber said.

The news has inflamed debate over the British government’s unprecedented decision to use terrorism powers to ban a group primarily known for property damage and disruption.

The group describes its aim as halting the supply of weapons to Israel and ending what it describes as British complicity in Israel’s “genocide” of Palestinians.

More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas terror attack on Oct.

7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 others taken hostage.

In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the Gaza Health Ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies.

Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME.

Data from the Israel Defense Forces as of May 2025 suggested a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83% .

Israel denies allegations of genocide .

Rooney has long expressed her support for the group, and called the British proscription “a truly extreme assault on ordinary rights and freedoms.” Here’s what to know about the group and how the British government’s ban affects Rooney.