on campuses, especially not when it comes to racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff’. 50 He argued that some data gathered by ‘biased groups’ such as the Executive Council of Australian Jewry include statements that Israel is committing war crimes as antisemitic, which he said are not accurate examples of... See more

1.10 They also posited that the conflation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism ‘will inevitably lead to the denial and minimisation of real antisemitism’. 11 Students for Palestine stated that opposition to and critique of Zionism as an ideology is not opposition to Jewish people or their right to be treated as equals: Jewish Voice for Peace defines... See more

1.34 Anything else supports the wrongful weaponising of Antisemitism to silence Palestinian truthtelling, protesters and anti-Zionist Jews in order to restrict discourse about Palestine in so-called Australia. This weaponisation relies on the conflation of Zionism with Judaism in order to characterise criticism of Israel as discrimination against... See more

Conflation of Antisemitism with Zionism 1.22 It is crucial that the government does not participate in this conflation, which puts individuals at risk, but carefully distinguishes between criticism of the Israeli government and hatred of Jewish people as a whole. Understanding the distinction between Zionism (a modern colonial ideology) and Judaism... See more

3.28 Dr Noam Peleg argued that ‘there is no compelling, independently verified, evidence to suggest that antisemitism is prevailing over other forms of racism

1.8 Loud Jew Collective, a group which includes members who work and study at various universities, posited the IHRA working definition of antisemitism as being used ‘primarily to shut down legitimate and necessary criticism of Israel and Zionism ’. 7 This position was echoed similarly by Students for Palestine. 8 Both organisations have raised... See more

1.9 Furthermore, several submitters raised concerns regarding the conflation of legitimate statements or protests as being antisemitic – including criticism of the Government of Israel and Zionism . In this regard, Jews Against the Occupation ’48 argued that:

1.12 Of further significance, the IHRA definition has also been the subject of specific criticism by United Nations (UN) international human rights law mechanisms on the basis that it is incompatible with human rights. The UN Special

1.9 Relevantly, there has been a concerning trend of professional consequences, including misconduct charges against students and staff critical of genocide, racism, the state of Israel and Zionism , especially racialised community members. ‘Many of those protesting against Israel’s ongoing genocide and Australia’s unwillingness to act have been... See more