AJA must cancel event with extremist who has called for Gaza ethnic cleansing

Jun 18, 2024

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network strongly condemns the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) for providing a platform to Moshe Feiglin, an extremist Israeli politician known for his genocidal rhetoric.

We also demand that the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) revokes AJA’s Deductible Gift Recipient status, in light of the fact that the organisation is clearly promoting harmful behaviour and attitudes. This directly contradicts the association’s ACNC endorsement as a “harm prevention charity.”

Just this week, Feiglin appeared on Israeli television, unabashedly calling for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, stating “We could not live in this land if even one such Islamo-Nazi remains in Gaza,” likening Palestinians to parasites and expressing aspirations to turn Gaza into “Hebrew Gaza.”

Such language is not only hateful, but openly incites genocide in Gaza. Feiglin’s past admiration for Hitler and Nazi Germany, coupled with his ban from the UK in 2008 due to concerns about public safety, underscore the gravity and the inappropriateness of his extremist views.

By providing him a platform, AJA is legitimising and promoting hate speech that openly advocates for the genocide of Palestinians. Feiglin’s extremist ideology stands in stark contrast to the principles of human rights, respect and tolerance that should underpin any responsible public discourse in the Australian community.

APAN demands that the Australian Jewish Association cancels this hateful event.

Quotes attributed to APAN President Nasser Mashni:

“It should alarm all Australians that the AJA, which has been linked to extremist Israeli settler movements and has a history of promoting anti-Palestinian racism, should choose to actively amplify Feiglin’s dangerous and genocidal message.

“We’re deeply concerned by AJA’s attempt to disseminate extremist views and promote fascist ideologies among vulnerable young audiences through their targeted marketing of this event to participants that include ‘young adults’.

“It is abundantly clear that AJA is actively promoting hate and racism, starkly contradicting its designation as a ‘harm prevention charity’ under ACNC endorsement, and the ACNC must immediately strip AJA of its DGR status.

“Extremist voices like Moshe Feiglin’s have no place in civil discourse and must not be given a platform to spread their hateful, racist, genocidal agendas.”