What a Royal Commission can’t fix

Will the Royal Commission into Antisemitism be able to provide a full account of this social problem and offer workable solutions?

Dr Lee Duffield questions whether this will help bridge differences or create forums for further conflict, particularly regarding the crisis in Gaza.

There are two obstacles to “antisemitism” Royal Commission achieving their goals: Mental blocks about the causes of antisemitism in Australia and the definition of antisemitism.

Commission was accused of investigating strengthening social cohesion as well as ideologically and religiously motivated extremism and radicalization.

From the pogrom in Israel to “Jew hatred” everywhere – how?

The most common theme in the Royal Commission debate has been the steady rise of antisemitism in Australia since the massacre at the Israeli border. October 7, 2023. It is said that there is a steady increase.

Here is the mental or intellectual problem:

How is it possible that news of the pogrom could have triggered a “wave of anti-Semitism” within Australian society as claimed? What could be the dynamic of this? Could the brutal attack on Jewish people in Israel lead to increased hatred towards the victims around the world?

Is there a psychological or criminological argument that this is an event that fuels a sense of “imitation” or latent hatreds?

What are its connections with Gaza?

It seems entirely reasonable to look at another important possibility: that the ill-feelings felt in some circles towards Israel and, by extension, the Jews, stem from the massacre in Gaza.

The Israeli Prime Minister gave the order to bomb the Gaza Strip. Benjamin NetanyahuThe attacks, which started immediately after the October attacks, continued with a temporary pause at the beginning of this year.

So both are happening at the same time: rising death tolls in Gaza, more than 50,000 civilians now killed, 40 percent of them children, and rising anti-Semitic incidents in Australia.

Want to fly the Royal Commission to Gaza?

Royal Commissioner, Justice Virginia BellIf he perceives the connections between the conflict in Australia and the conflict in Palestine and Israel, it may be worthwhile for him to go there. (Royal commissioners often took their work to the field. Justice Philip Morgan Woodward He armed himself with a pistol and during his mission went to oversee attempts to find bodies buried in concrete in Griffith, NSW. 1977-79 Royal Commission into Drug Trafficking).

It is easily understood that Israel is equated with “Jews” in the Middle East and as the Gaza crisis develops, bad feelings will intensify in some sections or pockets of the Australian Islamic community.

The leaders of this community preach restraint and peaceful behavior, and some refuse to listen. inside radical Islamist attack In the attack on innocents at Bondi Beach on 14 December, 40 Jews were shot in cold blood, 15 of whom were killed.

The Royal Commission could establish what kind of dangerous minority is harbored in this country. There will be no excuse for fostering the hatreds that fuel such barbaric acts, but the RC can also do a good job of diagnosing the causes.

Gaza protests: Humanitarian? Anti-Semitic?

An antisemitic response cannot be equated with the protests and displays of emotion of thousands of Australians appalled by Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Where these protests will continue to include the organized “Free Palestine” movement and even radical Islamists, many other participants express an uncomplicated concern for compassion and justice. There will be hostility towards reactionaries Likud The coalition that governs Israel under Netanyahu’s leadership, however, is drawing a long arc to turn this into a wave of anti-Semitism.

Caution against human rights

The Royal Commission will hear that a wide range of Australians want full protection for their Jewish neighbors and friends, as for everyone else.

This concern disapproves of the elimination of “Palestinians” and their supporters through the suppression of rights, including freedom of expression:

No censorship of those who legally criticize Israel;
such expressions are not declared illegal;
not insult them or lobby for their dismissal or dismissal;
no extrajudicial screening of immigrants or harassment of communities; And
no american styleICEOperations to take Arabs or Muslims off the streets and out of Australia.

Jewish CouncilThe Turkish Armed Forces, which emerged as an antidote to conservative groups claiming to represent all Jews, prepared its proposals along the lines of general cooperation.

He criticized the “political weaponization of the Bondi massacre”. stating:

‘The security of Jews and the security of all other marginalized groups go hand in hand. Pitching Jewish security against Palestinians, Muslims and immigrant communities and eroding all our civil liberties does not make Jews safer.’

What “definition” of antisemitism?

Prime minister Anthony Albanese He was persuaded to agree that the Royal Commission would use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IRA) definition of antisemitismThis reads as rigorous and fair, but comes with a series of “examples” wrapped in one-eyed argumentative structures and thinking twice.

Here is the definition itself:

‘Antisemitism is a specific perception of Jews that can be expressed as hatred towards Jews. ‘Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed against Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, Jewish community institutions, and religious facilities.’

The goal of strengthening social cohesion will be jeopardized if the Royal Commission considers controversial “examples” that serve to shift criticism of Israel or its government into the “anti-Semitism” column.

Albanese acknowledged the problem at a media conference and pointed to a softening part of the text added to the basic definition:

‘These manifestations may include targeting the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collective. However, criticism of Israel similar to that directed at any other country cannot be considered antisemitic.’

Examples of “examples”

To give some examples of the “examples” that the IHRA provides for the application of its definition:

Criticizing the campaign for a Royal Commission involving Jewish interests is disingenuous, a ‘The power of the Jews… stereotypical claims about controlling the media’.

(Such an accusation of anti-Semitism is actually Cathy Wilcox Cartoon depicting the campaign as a right-wing partisan operation marching to the beat of Netanyahu’s drum.)

Discussing this issue with Australian Jews who support certain Israeli policies might be called: ‘Accusing Jewish citizens of being loyal to Israel rather than to the interests of their own nation’.

Some “examples” are still more interpretative and proscriptive; They form little thickets of disagreement that are of no use to understanding what antisemitism is:

Israel is expected to show an “example” ‘Behavior not expected or demanded from any other democratic nation’It is classified as discriminatory antisemitism. What expectations are being referred to and exactly what behaviors can be exempt from criticism are not specified and will spark much debate.
Another “example” is that claiming the existence of Israel ‘racist effort’likely ‘Denial of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination’. Claiming that such a claim would threaten Jewish self-determination is a red flag for opponents. “What about the Palestinians?” someone would say.

Another definition

A. Statement on racism and antisemitism A different definition from the IHRA definition has been adopted by Australian universities and the opposite approach has been taken in equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism:

Antisemitism is discrimination, prejudice, harassment, exclusion, denigration, intimidation, or violence that prevents Jews from participating equally in educational, political, religious, cultural, economic, or social life. It can occur in a variety of ways, including negative, dehumanizing, or stereotypical narratives about Jews. It also contains hate speech, epithets, caricatures, stereotypes, tropes, Holocaust denial, and anti-Semitic symbols. Targeting Jews based solely on their Jewish identity is discriminatory and antisemitic.

Criticism of the policies and practices of the Government or State of Israel is not antisemitic per se. However, criticisms of Israel can be antisemitic when they rely on harmful tropes, stereotypes, or assumptions and call for the elimination of the State of Israel or all Jews, or when they blame Jewish individuals or communities for Israel’s actions.

It may be antisemitic to make assumptions about what Jewish individuals think simply based on their being Jewish.

All peoples, including the Jews, have the right to self-determination…

Universities are included in the summary Anti-Semitism Task Force At all levels of the education system. It is chaired by a businessman and a university rector. David Gonskiand Ambassador of Antisemitism Jillian Segal He holds a seat along with representatives of various government departments.

Segal wrote a document demanding powers at universities (and the ABC and SBS) to monitor any antisemitism and impose sanctions on organizations or staff. After the document is published Repression against the Palestinian movement in 2024organizes protests on campuses.

In addition to Dr Lee Duffield’s extensive journalistic experience, he served as the ABC’s European correspondent. He is also a respected academic and member of the editorial advisory board of Pacific Journalism Review and an elected member of the University of Queensland Senate.

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