Latest news with #Zahed
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Palestinian author's visa cancelled after post celebrating Hamas attack emerges
The Department of Home Affairs has cancelled a visa it had issued to a Palestinian woman who allegedly celebrated Hamas' October 7 massacre, reversing course just days after Immigration Minister Tony Burke vowed to block potentially divisive visitors. In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, hours after social media posts from an account in Mona Zahed's name emerged that celebrated Hamas' massacre of about 1200 Israelis almost two years ago, a spokesman for Burke said her visa had been revoked. 'The department has advised the office that the visa was cancelled today - the reasons have been communicated directly to the applicant,' the spokesman said. Zahed's supporters had said she had been granted a visa to come to Australia after raising money for her family's costs. Melbourne artist and pro-Palestinian activist Matt Chun had written in an online newsletter on July 21 that his partner had been working with human rights lawyers to secure passage for Zahed and her family to Australia from Gaza. 'Finally, against all odds, [my partner] Tess has visas approved,' Chun said. News Corp published a screenshot on Friday of a Facebook post from the Palestinian woman's page, dated October 8, 2023, which read: 'praise be to Allah who has kept us alive to see this day' alongside a photo of Israeli festival-goers fleeing Hamas' terrorist massacres the day before. The post also included a photo of Palestinians being expelled from their land during what they call the Nakba, or 'catastrophe', in 1948, that surrounded the creation of the modern state of Israel. Zahed, who is not in Australia, is the author of Tabkha: Recipes From Under the Rubble, a cookbook of Palestinian recipes, which Chun said Zahed wrote on her phone from a displaced persons' tent.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Questions over Hamas visa debacle
The country's border chief is seeking answers after revelations a Hamas sympathiser was granted an Australian visa. Palestinian woman Mona Zahed has been living in tents with her young family for much of the 22-month war in Gaza – a conflict triggered by Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023. The militant group killed more than 1200 in the unprecedented assault, including entire families, and witnesses reported horrific instances of sexual violence. Fighters took hundreds more hostage as they retreated into Gaza, where dozens remain captive. The Herald Sun revealed on Friday that Ms Zahed praised the attack on social media at the time. 'We woke up and got God's kingdom,' she wrote of the worst loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. Hamas sympathiser Mona Zahed has been granted an Australian visa. Facebook Credit: NewsWire She has not entered the country. Facebook Credit: NewsWire She secured a visa with the support of Melbourne artist Matt Chun, who claims to have raised tens of thousands of dollars to help Ms Zahed, her husband and four children secure visas. Hamas is a listed terrorist organisation in Australia and the Albanese government has repeatedly condemned the October 7 attacks. A spokesperson for Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the Albanese government 'is serious' about keeping hatred out of Australia. 'This is a serious issue, the government is taking it seriously. Questions were put to the department as soon as the minister's office became aware,' the spokesperson said. 'The government is serious in its view about not importing hatred and we set a higher bar when the purpose of someone's visit is a speaking tour.' Ms Zahed has not entered Australia. Mr Burke has faced criticism this week after revealing he had rejected dozens of visas to protect 'social cohesion', with the opposition calling on him to clarify what 'standard' he held applications to. Plans to occupy Gaza The response from Mr Burke's office is in line with Anthony Albanese's rhetoric on not bringing the war in Gaza to Australia. It is no small task, as many Australians have family affected on both sides. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his border chief Tony Burke say the war in Gaza must not be imported to Australia. Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Nearly two years of fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and reduced most of Gaza to rubble. Israel's chokehold on aid getting into the war-ravaged territory has also caused fears of famine, local health officials reporting nearly 200 deaths from starvation. Foreign journalists are not allowed into Gaza to verify exact figures, but the reports tally with independent monitors and the situation has prompted a push from Israel's allies to recognise a Palestinian state. The Prime Minister has neither committed to nor ruled out doing so at the UN General Assembly next month. The Israeli government early on Friday (local time) confirmed it would go ahead with a full occupation of Gaza, as foreshadowed by Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. 'The (Israel Defence Forces) will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,' the Israeli Prime Minister's office said in a statement. It said it also outlined conditions for 'ending the war'. The conditions include Hamas' disarmament, the return of all hostages, Gaza's demilitarisation with Israeli security control and a viable civilian government that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. 'An absolute majority of cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan presented to the cabinet would not achieve the defeat of Hamas or the return of the abductees,' the statement said.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Tony Burke demands answers after Hamas-praising Palestinian woman granted Australian visa
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has demanded answers after a Palestinian woman who praised Hamas attack on Israel was granted an Australian visa. Mona Zahed had thanked Allah for keeping her alive long enough to witness Hamas's October 7 terrorist attack on a music festival — where more than 1200 people were slaughtered and 250 hostages seized. She had rejoiced in an Instagram post which included a photo of panicked, fleeing festival-goers: 'Praise be to Allah who has kept us alive to see this day' and 'we always see you well'. 'We woke up and got God's kingdom,' she declared in another. It's understood the Hamas sympathiser had received visa approval with the support of controversial Melbourne-based artist and anti-Israel children's author Matt Chun for a speaking tour in Australia. Minister Burke on Friday issued a statement after her visa approval made headlines across Australia, confirming he had questioned the Department of Home Affairs about Ms Zahed's visa status. 'This is a serious issue. The Government is taking it seriously, questions were put to the department as soon as the Minister's office became aware,' the Labor minister said. 'The Government is serious in its view about not importing hatred and we set a higher bar when the purpose of someone's visit is a speaking tour.' He also confirmed Ms Zahed was currently overseas and not in Australia. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie questioned how the Albanese Government would allow someone who celebrated the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack which sparked the Gaza conflict into the county. 'Self-declared Jew haters, self-declared terrorist sympathisers. She shouldn't be allowed in. On what planet do we think it's okay? That is not the way to build social cohesion,' Ms McKenzie said. 'Importing values which are sympathetic to the horrific actions of Hamas on October 7, and it's actually against building a cohesive society.' Hamas is listed as a designated a terrorist group by the Australian government and has been condemned for the civilian attack. Ms Zahed's visa approval comes as the Government is considering joining a string of other allied nations in recognising a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said Hamas must play no governing role in any future Palestinian authority and statehood needs to come at the most effective time to ensure peace and the security of Israel.
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Albanese government under fire amid reports woman who celebrated October 7 Hamas massacre has been granted Australian visa
A woman who publicly praised Hamas after the terror group launched its deadly assault on Israeli civilians may soon be living in Australia. Palestinian woman Mona Zahed shared a series of disturbing posts in the immediate aftermath of the surprise attack on October 7, 2023. One showed panicked festivalgoers fleeing for their lives, overlaid with her message: 'Praise be to Allah who has kept us alive to see this day'. In another, she declared: 'We woke up and got God's kingdom'. Ms Zahed's supporters say that she has now been granted a visa to enter Australia, The Herald Sun reported. Ms Zahed, along with her husband and four children, is reportedly being backed by Melbourne-based artist Matt Chun. Chun has described Hamas militants as 'courageous Indigenous resistance fighters'. Chun and his partner, Tess Cullity, have boasted of having raised tens of thousands of dollars to help the family get out of Gaza to what they refer to as 'Wurundjeri Land'. On July 20, Chun took to social media to write: 'Finally, against all odds, Tess has visas approved'. The claims come just weeks after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese embraced a review urging tighter visa scrutiny, particularly for those holding extremist or anti-Semitic views. The Opposition has blasted the reported approval of Zahed's visa as a serious lapse in judgement by Labor and is demanding urgent clarification from the government on the vetting processes applied in these high-risk cases. 'I mean on what planet do we think it's OK to be importing self-declared Jew haters, self-declared terrorist sympathisers into a country,' Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie told Sky News. 'That is not the way to build social cohesion. And Tony Burke, Anthony Albanese and the rest of them need to answer how this woman got granted a visa. What are the processes inside the department that allow somebody holding these views to be welcomed into our country? 'We should be choosing people that share our values, not the type of people who are going to bring their hate, their division, and their terrorist support to this country, because it's not just her, she has four kids, a husband, and she won't be alone on holding those views. This is an indictment on the government.' Australian intelligence officials have warned of the threat posed by individuals who endorse terrorism. In September, ASIO chief Mike Burgess was explicit: 'If you think Hamas and what they did on the 7th of October is OK, I can tell you that is not OK, and from an ASIO security assessment point of view, you will not pass muster'. Despite these warnings, the Zahed visa claims have raised fresh questions for Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who only days ago claimed he was actively using ministerial powers to block visa applicants 'on character grounds', including former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked. has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Talks with Trump a necessity for sanctions-hit Iran
US President Donald Trump appeared to catch Tehran off guard on Monday when he announced "direct talks" between the arch-foes over Iran's nuclear programme, having previously threatened to bomb the Islamic republic. Despite previously having expressed major reservations over the talks, Tehran has agreed to participate but through an intermediary. - What does Iran want? - The priority for the Islamic republic is the lifting of biting sanctions that have placed a stranglehold on the energy-rich country's economy for decades. In 2015, a landmark deal was reached between Iran and major powers including the United States, offering sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme. The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPCOA), also provided for the eventual return of Western investments into Iran. At the time, Iranians were hopeful that the deal would reflect in improvements in their economic conditions and end their country's isolation. But that hope was short lived as in 2018, during Trump's first term in office, Washington unilaterally pulled out of the deal and reinstated sanctions. Ever since, the value of the Iranian rial has plummeted against the dollar, fuelling high inflation and unemployment and leaving much of the population impoverished. "If Iran manages to break the chains of the sanctions, it can achieve a considerable economic resurgence," economist Fayyaz Zahed told AFP. In addition to some of the highest oil and gas reserves in the world, Iran also enjoys unique geography and has great potential to build its tourism industry and develop infrastructure. Its 86 million people also represent a large untapped market, a predominantly young and educated urbanised population with an average age of just 32. - Why talk now? - Alongside its economic challenges, Iran has been dealt major blows through the weakening of its network of proxies in the region in the aftermath of the Gaza war that began in October 2023. Lebanese group Hezbollah -- a key bulwark in Iran's so-called axis of resistance against Israel and the United States -- emerged massively weakened from a war last year with Israel, having lost much of its leadership structure. In Syria, a Sunni Islamist-led offensive toppled Tehran's longtime ally Bashar al-Assad in December, and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen have been under heavy US bombardment in recent weeks. "Iran no longer has any effective cards and is suffering the consequences" of upheavals in the region, Zahed said. Iran and Israel exchanged direct strikes twice last year for the first time in their history. - What is Iran's strategy? - "Iran is prepared to accept the same technical conditions" that were in place for the 2015 deal, Zahed said. Tehran has long maintained its right to develop its nuclear capabilities for civil purposes, particularly energy. Western governments however accuse Iran of seeking to develop a weaponss capability, an ambition it vigorously denies. "On the other hand, the country will show no flexibility regarding its missiles," Zahed warned. The Trump administration argued that its withdrawal from the JPCOA in 2018 was motivated by the absence of controls for Iran's ballistic missile programme, viewed as a threat by Washington and its ally Israel. In February, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed there would be "no negotiations" with the Trump administration, pointing to previous deals with US leaders that were not honoured. In March, Trump sent a letter to the Iranian leader, calling for talks but also threatening to bomb Iran in the event that diplomacy failed. Iran responded that it would not negotiate under pressure. Trump's announcement that "direct" talks would take place in Oman on Saturday appeared to take Iran by surprise. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi only confirmed the talks in a post on X in the middle of the night, however insisting that Iran would not speak directly with the Americans. According to US news website Axios, Trump has given Iran two months to reach a deal. Trump "broke the nuclear deal once", wrote reformist Hossein Nouraninejad in the government daily Iran, adding that "there are many historical differences between the two countries", which have not had diplomatic relations since 1980. However, direct talks between Trump and Khamenei seem "more likely than war", wrote Ali Shakourirad, a politician close to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in the newspaper Etemad. sbr-ap/jsa/kir
