Sydney’s Waverley Council, which includes Bondi Beach within its boundaries, has removed a book on the war on Gaza, titled How to Sell a Genocide, from its library shelves, pending review. This followed a complaint from a survivor of last year’s Bondi Beach massacre.

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported the council received “multiple complaints” about the book by media analyst Adam Johnson, which centres on a detailed critique of the United States mainstream media and its “culpability” in shaping public perceptions of the war in Gaza.

The president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Nasser Mashni, told the Guardian it is a “library’s duty to provide its community access to a broad range of published works, including those that may challenge or discomfort”.

It’s not surprising that a survivor was “distressed” by the prominent display of a book with genocide in the title, especially displayed on the “new release / hot item” shelf. Was it thoughtless or insensitive, in a council area that is home to one of Australia’s largest Jewish communities, close to the site of the December 2025 massacre? Many may think so.

But should the book, currently being reviewed, be permanently removed from the collection........

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