Michigan Severs Ties to Controversial Publisher
In September, the University of Michigan Press faced intense criticism from pro-Israel groups — and questions from some regents — over its distribution of a book called Overcoming Zionism, which argues that the creation of Israel was a mistake and urges adoption of the “one state” solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in which Israelis and Palestinians would form a new country, without a Jewish character. Michigan wasn’t the publisher, but it distributed the book under a deal with Pluto Press, a leftist British publisher with extensive lists on the Middle East and international affairs.

Some critics of the book demanded that Michigan stop distributing the book, which it briefly did, and cut ties to Pluto immediately. The university declined to do so, and resumed distributing the book, citing both contractual obligations to Pluto and concerns that halting distribution because of content would raise issues of academic freedom. By the end of this year, however, Michigan will no longer be distributing the book or have any ties to Pluto Press.

Michigan says that this is because of appropriate new rules about the press role in distributing books it hasn’t itself vetted. But Pluto sees the new rules as window dressing that gave the university an excuse to satisfy Pluto’s critics while avoiding the appearance of doing so.

Read further http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/06/18/pluto

Note, these Zionists led by Stand With Us Michigan and Dearborn Underground stopped at NOTHING to get this book undistributed here in the US.

Why do I say they stopped at nothing? Because they wanted this off the bookshelves SO badly the didn’t care less about any of the other authors of books NOT relating to Israel/Palestine also loosing their books being distributed here in the US. Just go to Pluto Press website and peruse. Authors from all over the world publish through Pluto Press (which had it’s US distribution contract with U of Michigan), either because they cannot get their works published in their home countries, or because they choose Pluto due to it’s decades long reputation for “radical thought”.

A university is a place of higher learning where free speech and freedom of the press is essential. By rabidly going after this book (and all the other authors as well who wrote on Israel/Palestine who published there) ALL those books won’t be distributed in the US anymore unless Pluto is able to sign an agreement with another distributor/publisher here in the US. Jeff Halper, Uri Avnery, Ghada Karmi to name just a few will also not have their books distributed here. This is EXTREME censorship and needs to be seen just for what it is.

Don’t forget though all the other writers from around the world who also will be silenced here.

Unbelievable.