John McCarthy was held hostage in Lebanon 25 years ago. Now he is narrating the Nakba

From Mondoweiss
The opening event at an international literature festival in Ireland this month was on the subject of Israeli theft of Palestinian land, history and identity. The inaugural speaker, British journalist John McCarthy, is famous for being held hostage by Lebanese Shi'a militia between 1986 and 1991, and his new book, You Can't Hide the Sun: A Journey Through Israel and Palestine, tells the story of the Palestinian citizens of Israel, from the Nakba to the present day. The publication - and book tour - is significant for two reasons: first, BBC broadcaster McCarthy is a 'national treasure' of sorts in the UK and Ireland - held alongside Irish hostage Brian Keenan for much of his 5 years in captivity, he is a dignified, modest hero known for his commitment to human rights causes, and writes of his captors, 'They, too, were underdogs'; second, he is not a public figure of whom it can be said, 'Well, he would say that wouldn't he' (in the words of one of the book's detractors, 'he comes across as a perfectly decent and reasonable bloke, without agenda or malice'). The book is a personal, at times highly emotional journey, and McCarthy is careful to add the disclaimer that this is not an academic work. more

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