Latest news with #AustraliaPalestineAdvocacyNetwork
9 News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- 9 News
Palestinians brush off Australia's 'symbolic' statehood recognition, advocate says
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Pro-Palestine advocates have labelled Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's move to recognise Palestinian statehood as "symbolic" and a "distraction", saying it will not help the situation on the ground. Monday's announcement confirmed Australia will join the United Kingdom, Canada and France in recognising Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The move is underpinned by commitments from the Palestinian Authority, including reaffirming recognition of Israel, the demilitarisation of Hamas, holding elections, governance and education reforms, and isolating Hamas from the future state. Ramia Abdo Sultan, the executive member of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network. (Supplied) Ramia Abdo Sultan, the executive member of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, has been calling for action for her family members and others in Palestine. But she said the government's recognition was merely a "symbolic step" that did not address the "immediate and imminent" issues faced by Palestinians. "[My family] received news about Australia, as well as various other countries around the world, recognising Palestine in the next month, and they said, 'We want to hear about our right to actually exist first before an ocean of recognition. We want to know that we have a right to live, a right to self-determination and autonomy and agency, like every other person around the world'," she said. "That's what Palestinians on the ground in Gaza are saying." Mussa Hijazi, a lawyer who spent some of his childhood growing up in Palestine, went further to call the prime minister's recognition "a bit more sinister" than a "distraction". "Number one: it's very late. Two: it's symbolic. Three: it's creating a distraction from what is actually going on," he said. "We end up with this half-arsed attempt to basically quieten the public down by proposing possibly recognising a state at some stage, later down the track, subject to conditions," he added. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia will recognise a Palestinian state. (Nine) Albanese's sudden shift in policy followed building international momentum, sparked on July 25 when France announced it would be the first G7 country to move to recognise Palestine at the upcoming UN meeting. Albanese's decision has put him at odds with the United States, which was notified of Australia's plan to recognise Palestine ahead of the announcement. Organisers of the mass bridge protest accused the government of acting with political motivation, adding that recognition is meaningless without sanctions. "This decision is not borne of principle, but of political heat," Palestine Action Group Sydney said. Pro-Palestine protesters march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (Janie Barrett) Pro-Palestine protesters have been calling for the government to go further, to sanction Israel and stop any arms trade with Israel. "We don't want symbolic steps and moves. We want actual tangible actions that are going to stop Israel from killing people again," Sultan said. "Once we have got a ceasefire, once people are being fed, once the Israelis have withdrawn, we can talk about all sorts of things, including a two-state, but right now it's a distraction," Hijazi said. Israel's security cabinet last week approved a plan to take over Gaza City, ramping up military action in the besieged enclave. The United Nations has warned that this plan would trigger more calamity in Gaza, causing the "unbearable suffering of the population". The World Health Organisation said the number of starvation-related deaths and malnutrition rates have spiked, while the United Nations estimates that at least 1300 Palestinians have been killed trying to access food since May 27. CONTACT US
The Advertiser
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
'Massive' free speech concerns in anti-Semitism plan
Concerns are being raised over a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism as some warn it will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and the cancelling visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton raised issues with the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. The report also recommended universities and all levels of government adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, even though it has been accused of conflating anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent" and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". But other Jewish groups including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council called for the plan to be adopted in full. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations. Concerns are being raised over a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism as some warn it will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and the cancelling visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton raised issues with the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. The report also recommended universities and all levels of government adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, even though it has been accused of conflating anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent" and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". But other Jewish groups including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council called for the plan to be adopted in full. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations. Concerns are being raised over a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism as some warn it will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and the cancelling visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton raised issues with the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. The report also recommended universities and all levels of government adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, even though it has been accused of conflating anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent" and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". But other Jewish groups including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council called for the plan to be adopted in full. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations. Concerns are being raised over a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism as some warn it will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and the cancelling visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton raised issues with the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. The report also recommended universities and all levels of government adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, even though it has been accused of conflating anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent" and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". But other Jewish groups including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council called for the plan to be adopted in full. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations.
West Australian
10-07-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
'Massive' free speech concerns in anti-Semitism plan
Concerns are being raised over a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism as some warn it will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and the cancelling visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton raised issues with the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. The report also recommended universities and all levels of government adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, even though it has been accused of conflating anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent" and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". But other Jewish groups including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council called for the plan to be adopted in full. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations.
Perth Now
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
'Massive' free speech concerns in anti-Semitism plan
Concerns are being raised over a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism as some warn it will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and the cancelling visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton raised issues with the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. The report also recommended universities and all levels of government adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, even though it has been accused of conflating anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent" and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". But other Jewish groups including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council called for the plan to be adopted in full. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations.
The Age
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Synagogue fire, ugly restaurant confrontation spark mixed response from advocates
One of the Melbourne leaders of the pro-Palestinian protest movement has 'disavowed' the arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue while another group has told people to 'stop clutching their pearls' over ugly scenes at an Israeli restaurant on Friday night. Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said the broader pro-Palestinian movement disavowed the attacker, but resented being asked to explicitly condemn the synagogue fire, saying holy sites in Gaza had been relentlessly attacked. 'Whoever you are... you should know that we know that the only thing stopping you attacking a church or a mosque is that it's not quite opportune. 'You are not part of us, you are not part of our movement. We disavow you absolutely, entirely and completely. And I hope the police catch up with you soon.' Mashni, who is currently travelling in the United Kingdom, made the comments after the front doors of the East Melbourne synagogue were set on fire as families gathered for their weekly Shabbat dinner. Loading A man from Sydney has been charged over the attack. The same evening there were ugly scenes in the CBD when Israeli restaurant Miznon was stormed by a group of people chanting 'Death to the IDF', leading to one man from Footscray being arrested at the scheme. Separately, a building in Greensboro that houses a military parts manufacturer was also daubed with red paint on Friday evening.
