February 27, 2024
Prominent leaders of the Jewish community are urging senior cabinet ministers in the Albanese government to intervene to prevent a pro-Palestinian militant who took part in two plane hijackings from appearing at a socialist conference scheduled to be held in Perth this year.
In a letter addressed to the Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry urged the government to deny Leila Khaled an Australian visa, saying she must not be allowed to travel to Australia or appear virtually at the event.
The event is being organised by Green Left, which is billing the conference, Ecosocialism 2024, as an "invaluable opportunity to share experiences in building struggles with activists from around the Indian Ocean".
According to the event's website, attendees are encouraged to "discuss how we can collectively campaign against war and climate catastrophe".
Ms Khaled has been promoted by event organisers as an "iconic Palestinian revolutionary activist" and a "national committee member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a socialist organisation that advocates for the creation of a democratic, secular Palestine".
However, she has been involved in a series of plane hijackings, including a 1969 flight from Rome to Tel Aviv that was believed to be carrying Yitzhak Rabin, then Israeli ambassador to the US. No one was killed but two hostages were held for at least two months.
Ms Khaled was then involved in the Dawson's Field hijackings the following year, which targeted four planes bound for New York City and one for London.
In an interview with Green Left last week, Ms Khaled said Hamas terrorists responsible for the October 7 attacks on Israel were "freedom fighters" who had a right to defend themselves "from occupation and the siege of Gaza".
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry's letter, co-signed by president Daniel Aghion, Peter Wertheim and Alex Ryvchin, said Ms Khaled should not pass the character test given she "remains a member of the national committee of the PFLP, an organisation which is listed under Australian sanctions laws".
"It is reasonable to suspect she does not pass the character test, as defined in ss. 501(6), and that refusing her a visa would be in the national interest," they wrote.
A government spokeswoman said Labor was aware of the case and anti-terrorism laws applied even if a person appeared online rather than in person in Australia.
She also made reference to laws passed in January that made glorifying or praising acts of terrorism a criminal offence.
The Jewish leaders have also called for Ms Khaled to be blocked from appearing virtually, saying it would be damaging for social cohesion. "Given her criminal background and current associations, her appearance, actual or virtual, would be likely to have the effect of inciting, promoting or advocating terrorism to an Australian audience, to aggravate current social divisions and thus cause damage to social cohesion," they wrote.
The Coalition has urged Labor to immediately rule out granting Ms Khaled a visa amid concern she is a prominent member of a terrorist organisation.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said Ms Khaled should not be able to set foot on Australian soil under any circumstances. "Leila Khaled was convicted and jailed for a hijacking a plane and is a prominent member of a terrorist organisation," he said.
"Under no circumstances should she be allowed to set foot on Australian soil. The Albanese government must rule out granting her a visa today." Ms Khaled, who is 79 years old, was refused entry to Rome and was forced to return to Amman, Jordan, given she was a member of a group considered terrorist by the Italian government.
The Australian has requested comment from Mr Dreyfus, Ms O'Neil and Mr Giles.
