Palestinian peak body refused leave to appear at royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion

Palestinian voices are being excluded from the debate on social cohesion, the peak body for Palestinians in Australia has said after it was refused leave to appear before the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion.

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) made detailed submissions on the issues of antisemitism – including how it is defined – as well as on racism and social cohesion, but was told it did not have a “direct and substantial” interest in the public hearings, which are under way in Sydney.

“Excluding voices from the Palestinian community increases the very real probability of producing an incomplete and polarising account of the rise in antisemitism,” Apan told the Guardian.

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The network said it was deeply concerned that the inquiry would rely heavily on submissions “equating criticism of Israel, Zionism, and Israel’s actions in Gaza with hatred of Jewish people, without rigorous inquiry”.

Apan said criticism of Israel was routinely misrepresented as antisemitic. “The definition of antisemitism is distorted and weaponised in attempts to silence those who criticise Israel,” it said.

The inquiry’s first block of hearings, currently before commissioner Virginia Bell, is focused on defining antisemitism, its historical and contemporary manifestations, and its current impact on Jewish Australians.

Apan’s 259-page submission to the commission included testimony from professors Ilan Pappe, Shaul Magid and Noura Erakat, experts on Middle Eastern history, Judaism and international law, based in the UK and US.

The Apan submission argued antisemitism was often conflated with anti-Zionism, which it said was counterproductive to tackling antisemitism, and delegitimised criticism of Israel’s policies and actions.

“The conflation is also harmful to Jewish Australians because it diverts attention from bona fide examples of antisemitism.”

On Monday the research director for the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Julie Nathan, told the commission criticism of Israel was not inherently antisemitic, “even though a lot of it is incredibly offensive”.

Nathan said pro-Palestinian protest material, such as posters and stickers, were not inherently antisemitic, but could be considered examples of Jew hatred dependent on context.