RESPONSE TO JAKE LYNCH’S COLUMN, ‘FREE SPEECH AND THE PRO-ISRAEL LOBBY’ (Posted last week, 14-20 Sep, 09)

COMMENTARY ARCHIVES, 19 Sep 2009

Philip Mendes

Jake Lynch’s article seriously misrepresents both my political views and research record. To be fair to Lynch, he is a relative newcomer to Australia so he is probably not familiar with the key players in the Australian debate.

For the record, I have been a consistent supporter of a two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict for over 25 years. This means finding a mid-way compromise based on mutual concessions between legitimate Israeli security needs and legitimate Palestinian national aspirations. It also means condemning extremists and supporting moderates on both sides, rather than demonizing one side via boycott proposals based on ethnic stereotyping.

For many of these years, I have conducted scholarly research on Israeli (and related) Jewish politics. My output includes numerous peer reviewed articles in a wide range of Oz and international journals, and two prominent books. It is ironic given the harsh tone of Lynch’s criticism of myself that I co-authored with Geoffrey Brahm Levey (in our co-edited book Jews and Australian Politics, Sussex Academic Press, 2004) the seminal critique of the campaign by some pro-Israel lobby groups against the awarding of the Sydney Peace Prize to Hanan Ashrawi. I personally did not believe Ashrawi should have received the prize as she is not a peacenik, but equally I felt the campaign against her was disproportionately harsh given she is clearly a moderate (on the Palestinian spectrum) and supporter of two states.

In contrast, John Pilger is a hardline extremist. He does not support Israeli/Palestinian peace and reconciliation. His public writings all suggest a position favouring the dissolution of the existing State of Israel, and its replacement by an Arab state of Greater Palestine. He is no more suitable to receive a peace prize than an advocate of a Greater Israel who supports the expulsion of all Arabs. I strongly recommend that Jake Lynch and the Sydney Peace Foundation reconsider the award of their peace prize to someone who preaches the opposite.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 19 Sep 2009.

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