It became controversial in
Israel after being disqualified from Israeli high school curricula for its subject matter of a love story between a
Jewish-Israeli woman and a Palestinian man who's of
Muslim-Arab background. once it was rejected by the
Israel Education Ministry. The controversy led to pro-book protests from high school teachers and principals to the
Knesset Opposition head,
Zionist Union leader
Isaac Herzog. This controversy led to a doubling in the book's sales; some people even "bought multiple copies and posted photos of themselves holding the book in bookstores," according to
The New York Times. Shortly afterward the Ministry stated that the novel may be taught only in advanced literature classes. Besides the objections to the plot's interracial relationship, the book has been controversial due to claims by the then Education Minister
Naftali Bennet that the book represented
Israel Defense Forces troops as
sadists. It has been criticized for its encouragement of illegal drug use. In addition, it was reported for calling the
State of Israel an "
Occupier", while its soldiers are compared to
Hamas". ==Film adaptation==