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Australia royal commission bars Palestine advocacy group from testifying

newsMay 14, 202618213

Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion refused leave for the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network to appear in its first hearing block. The commission, established on January 9, 2026, has received more than 7,400 written submissions and is holding hearings in Canberra. APAN told the commission that criticism of Israeli policies is routinely misrepresented as antisemitic and that Palestinian voices are being excluded from the inquiry. The decision narrows which testimonies the commission will hear and matters because the inquiry will help shape where political criticism of Israel is classified as antisemitism in Australian policy and public life.

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