| AFIC Supports Ed Husic’s Call for Open Debate on Palestine |
** AFIC President Dr Rateb Jneid said: "That democracy is strengthened through robust and respectful debate..."
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AFIC Supports Ed Husic’s Call for Open Debate on Palestine
28/07/2026
(See translation in Arabic section)
Sydney-Middle East Times Int'l: The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) expresses its support for former Cabinet Minister Ed Husic’s efforts to bring a substantive debate on Australia’s response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza before delegates at the Australian Labor Party’s National Conference.
Regardless of where individuals may stand on the specific proposals put forward, AFIC is deeply concerned that one of the defining moral and foreign policy issues of our time was prevented from being openly debated and voted upon by the party’s own membership.
For an organisation that rightly prides itself on being member-based and democratic, the decision to resolve this matter through internal factional negotiations rather than allowing delegates to openly deliberate raises serious questions about the health of internal democratic processes.
At a time when respected international organisations, United Nations experts, international legal scholars and an increasing number of governments have concluded that there is credible evidence that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide or have warned that the legal threshold may have been met, it is deeply disappointing that the Australian Government continues to avoid describing the situation with the clarity and moral courage it demands.
Australians are entitled to expect that matters of such significant humanitarian and legal significance can be openly discussed without political processes being used to prevent debate before it even begins.
AFIC President Dr Rateb Jneid said that democracy is strengthened through robust and respectful debate, not by limiting opportunities for members to determine their own organisation’s position.
“Whether delegates ultimately agreed with Mr Husic’s proposal is beside the point. Democratic organisations should have confidence in allowing their members to debate difficult issues openly and determine their position through established democratic processes. Preventing that debate only undermines confidence in those processes.”
Dr Jneid said the handling of the Palestine issue reflects a broader pattern of political reluctance to engage meaningfully with the reality unfolding in Gaza.
“For almost two years, the world has witnessed unprecedented destruction, mass civilian casualties and widespread human suffering. Numerous respected and independent international bodies have characterised these events in the strongest possible legal and humanitarian terms. Australia cannot continue to respond with carefully calibrated language while avoiding the fundamental questions of accountability that the international community is increasingly confronting.”
AFIC reiterates its call on the Australian Government to demonstrate principled leadership by speaking honestly about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, supporting full accountability under international law, and ensuring that Australia’s democratic institutions remain places where difficult issues can be debated openly rather than avoided through political management.
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AFIC, established in 1964, stands as the Peak Muslim Organisation in Australia, with 170 members including 9 State and Territory Councils. It has a rich history of pioneering numerous community services and actively advocating for the rights and representation of the Muslim community.
Authorised:
Dr Rateb Jneid, President |
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