
Anti-Zionist Jewish groups have rejected Jillian Segal鈥檚 recommendations to the Australian government, describing her report released on July 10 as an attempt to silence dissent, especially about Israel鈥檚 genocide in Gaza.
(JFPWA) described Segal鈥檚 appointment to the role of Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism as 鈥渋nappropriate given her history as a pro-Israel lobbyist鈥.
鈥淗er report ignores the voices of anti-Zionist Jews, and the plan within the report is a dangerous and authoritarian proposal firmly grounded in the widely rejected International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism,鈥 said Jews for Palestine WA.
(JAO鈥48)said Segal is a 鈥渟pecial envoy to protect Israel鈥檚 interests rather than to combat anti-Semitism鈥. It said her view that 鈥淚srael is the homeland for the Jewish people鈥 conflates Judaism with Zionism and wrongly implies that 鈥渁ll Jews 鈥 agree with Israel鈥檚 supremacist expansionism鈥.
(JCA) said Segal鈥檚 report and recommendations are 鈥渞iddled with misinformation鈥. Her claims about nefarious funding sources for protests and universities 鈥渧erge on conspiracy theory鈥.
It said it is 鈥渆specially concerned about the plan鈥檚 strong endorsement of the widely discredited IHRA definition of antisemitism, which has been used to silence legitimate criticism of Israel and Zionism鈥.
The JCA criticised the plan鈥檚 emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over the funding of cultural and educational institutions, measures it said are 鈥渟traight out of Trump鈥檚 authoritarian playbook鈥.
It said the recommendations on visa powers and judicial inquiries into student activity 鈥渞isk censoring criticism of Israel鈥 and 鈥渄eepening racism鈥.
JFPWA said even Kenneth Stern, who drafted the original IHRA definition, warned against it being weaponised 鈥渋n a way never intended鈥.
鈥淭he IHRA definition conflates criticism of Israel with the hatred of Jews and, from that assumption, flows the proposals to withdraw the funding of arts bodies and universities that do not comply with it,鈥 JFPWA said.
It said Segal wants to 鈥渟hape and govern media narratives鈥 and give police special powers to respond to 鈥渘ewly defined antisemitic incidents鈥.
鈥淚f implemented, the result would be censorship and surveillance of public institutions and the repression of expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people.鈥
It said 鈥渢his has frightening parallels with [Donald] Trump鈥檚 attempt to silence pro-Palestine sentiment in the US鈥.
JAO鈥48 said 鈥淪egal seeks to silence the millions of Australians, Jews and non-Jews, who expose and criticise Israel鈥檚 unlawful occupation and the [Israeli Defense Force] IDF鈥檚 barbarity, on the ground that this criticism is antisemitic鈥.
While Israel builds a concentration camp in Rafah to imprison starving and traumatised Palestinians, 鈥淪egal wants to curtail our freedom of press and debate and to withdraw funds from public institutions found to be critical of Israel鈥.
JFPWA said Australia 鈥渁lready has laws against hate speech and harassment鈥 and every manifestation of racism, including Islamophobia and racism against First Nations communities, must be fought.
鈥淲hy is the Jewish community being exceptionalised in this way?鈥 it said. 鈥淚ndeed, if enacted, these proposals could even create and fuel anti-Semitism.
鈥淲e demand our right to criticise and protest the actions of the Israeli state and will defy any attempt to silence us.鈥
The JCA is calling on Labor to engage a 鈥渂road spectrum of Jewish voices, including those critical of Israel, who have not been consulted in the development of this plan鈥 and to 鈥渞eject authoritarian proposals that erode civil liberties under the false guise of Jewish safety鈥.
JCA executive officer Max Kaiser said: 鈥淎ntisemitism is real and must be taken seriously. But it does not exist in a vacuum. Any response that treats antisemitism as exceptional, while ignoring Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, and other forms of hate, is doomed to fail.鈥