The first tranche of hearings of the Antisemitism Royal Commission did not hear enough from those Jewish Australians who oppose Israel’s actions in the Occupied Territories. 

The first tranche of hearings of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has concluded, with testimony from lived experience witnesses. Missing from the evidence was recognition of the diversity of opinion in the Jewish community. This omission is not new. Since 7 October 2023, pro-Israel perspectives have dominated the political and mainstream media landscape, and exacerbated divisions between Jews who uncritically embrace a Zionist frame and those who do not.

Concerned by the absence of dissenting voices in the public arena, Dr Leia Greenslade and I undertook research with Australian Jewish people opposed to Israel’s actions in the Occupied Territories. Until now, there have been limited opportunities to empirically examine the experiences, observations, reflections and ethical deliberations of this cohort, although a range of Jewish organisations do provide alternative perspectives.

One theme we explored in The Not in Our Name: Jewish Australians Speak Out research was the participants’ relationship with Israel, a subject that witnesses at the hearings sidestepped when responding to whether criticism of Israel constitutes antisemitism. While there have been some moves to challenge that assumption, they often remain qualified, with connection to Israel and Zionism in its varying forms presented as intrinsic to Jewish identity.

Dissent regarding the place of Israel within Judaism predates the formation of the Jewish state. Debate stretches back to the early visions of Israel as a Jewish homeland and concern about the consequences that might follow its establishment.........

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