Palestinians and their supporters in Australia continue to face restrictions, accusations and exclusion, the latest example being the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion where Gaza is being discussed at length, but Palestinians are being largely excluded.

That absence did not come out of nowhere.

The Palestine solidarity movement in NSW has for months been placed under suspicion for a crime it had nothing to do with — the Bondi attack. It was an antisemitic act of terrorism against Jewish Australians and the government has a duty to investigate the attack, hold those responsible to account and protect the Jewish community.

But it has gone a lot further with sweeping restrictions on public protest, even criminalising it.

The commission’s third round of public hearings examined antisemitism and hateful speech online, in the media and in public broadcasting. The ABC and SBS were questioned about their coverage of Gaza, with claims that they focused too heavily on Gaza, portrayed Israel too negatively and gave too much space to critics of the Israeli government.

While Gillian Segal, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, wants greater oversight, the ABC and SBS executives defended their editorial independence and complaints processes.

There is nothing wrong with examining accuracy, bias or editorial standards. But the same standards must be applied across the board.

If Palestinian casualty figures and sources are questioned, official Israeli claims should face the same scrutiny. If extensive reporting on Gaza is presented as evidence of bias, another question must be........

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