Latest news with #AJA
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘I couldn't stay silent': Pro-Israel group accused of racial vilification
A complaint made by a Palestinian man against the Australian Jewish Association, and accepted by the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW, claims the organisation engaged in 'serious and repeated public acts of racial and religious vilification'. The 58-page complaint points to nine alleged acts of racial vilification and seven acts of religious vilification, in social media posts by AJA on X, Facebook and Instagram. Kassem Chalabi, a Palestinian-Australian Muslim based in Sydney and chief executive of the Palestinian Australians Welfare Association, alleged the posts incited hatred, contempt and ridicule of Palestinians and Muslims. 'As a grandfather, father, a husband, and a proud Palestinian Muslim, I couldn't stay silent,' he said. 'These are cruel, disgusting attacks on who we are. They came while Palestinians here and around the world are mourning the immense suffering in Gaza.' One of the posts mentioned in the complaint called the Palestinian flag a 'flag of terrorism' while another accuses Islam of including a 'worship of death'. Another post includes a photo of a man and his child, who is wearing toy grenades. The post says that 'perhaps this father wishes for his child to be a suicide bomber and kill Jews or other infidels'. The post goes on to accuse refugees from Gaza of being exposed to 'decades of jihadist brainwashing'. Another post mentioned in the complaint focuses on Senator Fatima Payman, who defected from Labor in 2024 over the party's perceived lack of support for Palestinians. The post makes several 'constructive suggestions' to Payman, including mentioning that there were 'some openings now available in the governance of Hamas' and that she 'could go back to Afghanistan to help the Taliban with human rights challenges'.
The Age
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
‘I couldn't stay silent': Pro-Israel group accused of racial vilification
A complaint made by a Palestinian man against the Australian Jewish Association, and accepted by the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW, claims the organisation engaged in 'serious and repeated public acts of racial and religious vilification'. The 58-page complaint points to nine alleged acts of racial vilification and seven acts of religious vilification, in social media posts by AJA on X, Facebook and Instagram. Kassem Chalabi, a Palestinian-Australian Muslim based in Sydney and chief executive of the Palestinian Australians Welfare Association, alleged the posts incited hatred, contempt and ridicule of Palestinians and Muslims. 'As a grandfather, father, a husband, and a proud Palestinian Muslim, I couldn't stay silent,' he said. 'These are cruel, disgusting attacks on who we are. They came while Palestinians here and around the world are mourning the immense suffering in Gaza.' One of the posts mentioned in the complaint called the Palestinian flag a 'flag of terrorism' while another accuses Islam of including a 'worship of death'. Another post includes a photo of a man and his child, who is wearing toy grenades. The post says that 'perhaps this father wishes for his child to be a suicide bomber and kill Jews or other infidels'. The post goes on to accuse refugees from Gaza of being exposed to 'decades of jihadist brainwashing'. Another post mentioned in the complaint focuses on Senator Fatima Payman, who defected from Labor in 2024 over the party's perceived lack of support for Palestinians. The post makes several 'constructive suggestions' to Payman, including mentioning that there were 'some openings now available in the governance of Hamas' and that she 'could go back to Afghanistan to help the Taliban with human rights challenges'.
Sky News AU
11-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Coalition, Jewish leaders and international allies question Labor's decision to sanction two Israeli cabinet ministers
The Albanese government has faced mounting criticism over its decision to impose sanctions on two Israeli cabinet ministers over the Gaza War. Domestic Jewish leaders, the federal opposition and key international allies have all questioned Foreign Minister Penny Wong's decision to impose the sanctions. Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were sanctioned over claims they had incited extremist violence. These sanctions mean all their assets in Australia must be frozen, they must not enter Australia and making assets available to them would be an offence. The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) has condemned the sanctions, accusing Labor of targeting Israeli leaders while ignoring Palestinian violence. 'The AJA is appalled by reports that the Albanese Government is imposing sanctions on ministers of the Israeli government,' CEO Robert Gregory said. 'This action represents a hostile and unjustified attack on a democratic ally and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. 'Under the Albanese government, Australia's longstanding bipartisan relationship with Israel has been severely damaged.' Mr Gregory warned the government's actions have 'emboldened Islamic extremists' and had 'contributed to a rise in antisemitism at home'. Teal MP Allegra Spender told Sky News there will be 'a lot of concern' in her community, given that she represents an electorate with many Jewish residents. 'I've sought a briefing from the foreign minister in relation to (the sanctions) in terms of … what is the justification for this,' she said. Coalition frontbencher Dan Tehan also questioned the government's decision, warning of diplomatic consequences and demanding a briefing. 'This is a very serious move to sanction two ministers from a democratically elected government,' Mr Tehan told ABC Radio National on Wednesday. 'And what we want is a briefing… We also would like to know how it's going to help the peace process.' Mr Tehan said that the government needed to explain why this was a good decision when the US 'has said it's likely to be unhelpful'. US Senator Marco Rubio called on the Albanese government to reverse the sanctions on Wednesday. '"The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia,' he said. 'These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war.' In Israel, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the sanctions as 'outrageous' and said they would undermine peace efforts. Foreign Minister Penny Wong defended the move at a press conference on Tuesday, saying the ministers had committed 'serious human rights violations'. She said the decision was made in coordination with like-minded partners and was aimed at 'advancing peace and the cause of a two-state solution'. Asked by Sky News whether Australia would consider sanctioning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ms Wong did not rule it out. 'We don't speculate about the approach,' she said, adding that the two ministers were 'not the only members of the Israeli government whose actions have been problematic'.
Sky News AU
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
US ambassador to Israel intervenes after Hillel Fuld's banning from Australia
Sky News host Peta Credlin says the US ambassador to Israel has stepped in after the Albanese government quietly cancelled the travel visa of Israeli-American tech advocate Hillel Fuld who was due to visit in the coming weeks. In a decision statement, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke cited 'islamophobia rhetoric' which risked inciting discord against Australia's Muslim population. The appeal to have the decision overturned came hours after the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) called on the Trump administration to intervene in what it called an 'attack' on Jewish Australians.
Sky News AU
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
US ambassador to Israel steps in after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke banned Jewish-American speaker Hillel Fuld from Australia
The US ambassador to Israel has stepped in after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke barred Israeli-American speaker Hillel Fuld from Australia, sparking an international diplomacy test for the Albanese government. The US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has confronted Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revoked the visa of Israeli-American speaker Hillel Fuld from Australia, sparking an international diplomacy test for the Albanese government. In a decision statement, Mr Burke cited 'islamophobia rhetoric' which risked inciting discord against Australia's Muslim population. The appeal to have the decision overturned came hours after the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) called on the Trump administration to intervene in what it called an 'attack' on Jewish Australians. Mr Fuld, who was set to speak at fundraising events in Sydney and Melbourne hosted by Magen David Adom, an Israeli national emergency service, confirmed he had been barred from Australia 'because of my tweets'. The Jewish American entrepreneur has more than 176,000 followers on X where he has posted extensively on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In an email sent directly to the Home Affairs Minister, and obtained by The Australian, Mr Huckabee called Mr Fuld a 'highly respected' US-Israeli who was not a 'threat of any kind' to the nation that barred him. 'Mr Fuld is highly respected member in his community and well known in Israel. While he holds strong views against terrorism and the kind of massacre that occurred on October 7, he would pose no threat to the people of Australia by his actions or words,' Mr Huckabee wrote. 'I fully respect the decision to grant the visa is solely in your hands and you have a sovereign right to make the decision to deny entry to someone you consider a threat to national security (but) I do not feel Mr Fuld poses any threat of any kind. 'I would respectfully request … you would be willing to review his visa application and grant the opportunity to make his brief visit for the sake of the very important charity event for the humanitarian emergency medical service organisation.' — Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) June 8, 2025 In the report on the decision, the Home Affairs Minister said Mr Fuld had used social media to deny 'documented atrocities' and had the potential to use the speaking events to make more 'inflammatory statements'. Mr Burke seemed to stand by his decision and said he did not want to import 'hatred'. In a statement to the outlet, the Home Affairs Minister said Australians 'have a strong view that we don't want hatred from overseas brought here'. 'This power has been used repeatedly over many years by ministers. It is currently being tested in the High Court in the Candace Owens matter. Last term, there was bipartisan support for the use of this power. If that is no longer the case, Mr Hastie should say so,' he said. It came after shadow home affairs minister Andrew Hastie put out a statement on Sunday morning calling for Mr Burke to explain the cancellation of Mr Fuld's visa. "If there is a new political precedent in the standard for issuing entry visas to Australia, the Australian people should be informed as soon as possible," Mr Hastie said. Mr Fuld wrote on X on Monday morning and said there was a 'very low chance' the Albanese government would reverse the decision. 'Despite my appeal and diplomatic efforts at the highest possible levels, I have not heard anything back from the Australian government about them banning me from their country for three years,' Mr Fuld wrote. In a separate post, Mr Fuld said with the coverage continuing to ramp up, it was less likely Mr Burke and the Australian government would reconsider the decision. 'They don't want to seem like they're giving in to the pressure,' Mr Fuld wrote. On Sunday, Mr Fuld joked about whether he should add 'persona non grata' to his list of labels. On Monday, he added "Banned from Australia" to his X bio.
