Editing AIJAC (section)

==History==
===Origins===
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) was founded in 1997 through the merger of two earlier Jewish organisations: '''Australia-Israel Publications''' (AIP) and the '''Australian Institute of Jewish Affairs''' (AIJA). The Melbourne-based Australia-Israel Publications had been founded in 1974 by Robert ("Bob") Zablud and Isador Magid to present pro-Israel perspectives in the media and political debate through its monthly journal, the ''Australia-Israel Review''.{{sfn|Reich|2004|p=198}} AIP had been established by the [[Zionist Federation of Australia]] (ZFA) and the [[Executive Council of Australian Jewry]], the two peak representative bodies of the [[Australian Jews|Australian Jewish]] community, to educate the Australian public about the Middle East in response to growing public criticism of [[Israel]].{{sfn|Rutland|2004|p=40}} Under the leadership of Magid and later [[Mark Leibler]], AIP became the best resourced Australian Jewish organisation. During the 1980s, the organisation expanded with the establishment of full-time southern and northern directors in 1982 and of a director of public affairs in 1987.{{sfn|Reich|2004|p=198}}

The second organisation, AIJA, had been founded in 1984 by the Melbourne businessmen [[Isi Leibler]], Richard Pratt, and Mark Besen. AIJA's purpose was to conduct and encourage research into issues of concern for the Australian Jewish community.{{sfn|Reich|2004|pp=198-199}}{{sfn|Markus|2004|p=120}} AIJA's activities have also included organising several key conferences relating to antisemitism, Jewish education and the National Outlook Conferences, as well as producing research studies on various topics.{{sfn|Rutland|2004|pp=40-41}} In 1984, AIJA organised an international conference on antisemitism that hosted several prominent guests including Australian [[Chief Rabbi]] Sir [[Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits|Immanuel Jakobovits]], [[Abraham Foxman]] of the [[Anti-Defamation League]], Special Counsel to the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations]] Allan Gerson, Israeli academics [[Itamar Rabinovich]] and [[R.J. Zwi Werblowsky]], and [[B'nai B'rith]] lobbyist [[William Korey]].{{sfn|Markus|2004|p=120}} During its history, AIJA attracted more funding from major businessmen and philanthropists than ECAJ.{{sfn|Rutland|2004|pp=40-41}}

After Isi Leibler settled in Israel in 1995, he came to believe that the Jewish community needed a more effective advocacy group. Following negotiations, AIP and AIJA merged in 1997 to form AIJAC, which became the main Jewish public advocacy group in Australia.{{sfn|Rutland|2004|p=41}}

===1990s===
In May 1997, AIJAC and the [[American Jewish Committee]] (AJC) established institutional ties to collaborate on key Jewish communal and international policy issues in the Asia-Pacific region.{{sfn|Reich|2004|pp=202-203}}<ref name="About AIJAC" /> In 1999, AIJAC and the AJC produced a detailed research study called ''Islam in Asia: Changing Political Realities'', which examined the role of [[Islam]] in [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], the [[Mindanao|southern Philippines]], and [[southern Thailand]]. AIJAC and AJC regarded the growth of [[Islamic extremism]] in Asia as a concern for Australian Jews, the wider Australian population, and Israel and have advocated a "peaceful, stable, democratic, and prosperous Southeast Asia".{{sfn|Reich|2004|p=208}}

In 1998, AIJAC controversially published the far right [[Pauline Hanson's One Nation|One Nation]] party's secret membership list as part of its campaign against far right groups.{{sfn|Reich|2004|pp=204}} During the [[1998 Queensland state election]], AIJAC national chairman Mark Leibler and national policy chairman Colin Rubenstein joined forces with other Australian Jewish organisations including ECAJ, the [[B'nai B'rith|B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission]], and the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies in lobbying [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[John Howard]] into disavowing any preference deals with One Nation.{{sfn|Markus|2004|pp=122}}

===2000s===
In January 2000, AIJAC strongly campaigned against controversial military historian and [[Holocaust denial|Holocaust denier]] [[David Irving]]'s tour of Australia. AIJAC's National Chairman Mark Leibler also criticised the ''[[Herald Sun]]'' newspaper for commissioning a poll asking people whether they "agreed with historian David Irving's views on the [[Holocaust]]"; describing it as offensive to Melbourne's Holocaust survivors and arguing that newspaper's actions legitimised the claims of Holocaust deniers.{{sfn|Reich|2004|pp=209-210}}

In May 2000, AIJAC condemned the Australian Government's decision to vote in favour of two [[World Bank]] loans to [[Iran]] worth US$232 million; with AIJAC's Executive Director Rubenstein claiming that the loans legitimised the Iranian "regime's" religious discrimination, terrorism, and human rights violation. AIJAC's opposition to the Iranian loans was also influenced by the Iranian government's trial and conviction of ten [[Persian Jews|Iranian Jews]] on fabricated charges of spying for the US and Israel. The Iranian loans were also opposed by the United States, Canadian, and French governments. Historically, AIJAC has urged the Australian Government to exert pressure and limit relations with Iran due to its opposition to the [[Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran|current regime]].{{sfn|Reich|2004|p=210}}

In December 2000, AIJAC supported the [[Government of Victoria|Victorian Government]]'s [[Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001|Racial and Religious Tolerance Act]]; arguing that free speech had to be balanced with protection from harassment, vilification, incitement to violence, and [[hate speech]].{{sfn|Reich|2004|pp=209}} In 2001, AIJAC and most of the Australian Jewish community praised [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[John Howard]] for condemning the [[World Conference against Racism 2001]] in [[Durban]] in September 2001 and praised Australian efforts to moderate the conference's proceedings.{{sfn|Loewenstein|2006|p=166}}

Following the [[September 11 attacks]], AIJAC supported the United States-led coalition's [[War on Terror]] and military interventions in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq War|Iraq]]. AIJAC also campaigned in favour of Australian involvement in the Iraq War.{{sfn|Reich|2004|p=208}}{{sfn|Loewenstein|2006|p=163}}  AIJAC and its institutional partner, the American Jewish Committee, were also concerned by the growth of Islamic extremism in Southeast Asia. Following the [[2002 Bali bombings]], AIJAC exposed the Australian links of [[Ramzi Yousef]], one of the instigators of the [[1993 World Trade Center bombing]] and established close links with moderate Southeast Asian leaders such as [[President of Indonesia|Indonesian President]] and [[Nahdatul Ulama]] leader [[Abdurrahman Wahid]].{{sfn|Reich|2004|pp=208-209}}

In August 2003, AIJAC joined forces with several other Australian Jewish organisations and media including ''[[Australian Jewish News]]'', the [[New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies]] (NSWJBD), the [[Executive Council of Australian Jewry]] (ECAJ), and the [[Zionist Federation of Australia]] in opposing the Sydney Peace Foundation's decision to award Palestinian intellectual and [[Palestinian Liberation Organization|PLO]] official Dr. [[Hanan Ashrawi]] the 2003 [[Sydney Peace Prize]]. AIJAC published a fact sheet criticising Ashrawi for her alleged anti-Israel rhetoric and extremist views. Despite intense lobbying from Jewish groups and media, the Sydney Peace Foundation refused to rescind Ashrawi's prize. On 6 November 2003, [[Premier of New South Wales|New South Wales Premier]] [[Bob Carr]] awarded Ashrawi the 2003 Sydney Peace Prize during a public ceremony at the [[New South Wales Parliament]].{{sfn|Levey|Mendes|2004|pp=215-230}}{{sfn|Loewenstein|2006|pp=3-22}} [[Baruch Kimmerling]], a sociologist from the [[Hebrew University]], wrote, "As an Israeli, as a Jew and as an academic I am deeply sorry and ashamed that members of the [[Australian Jewish]] community are acting against this rightful nomination."<ref name=margo>{{cite news
 |authorlink1=Margo Kingston |first1=Margo |last1=Kingston
 |authorlink2=Stuart Rees |first2=Stuart |last2=Rees
 |access-date=27 September 2011 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/16/1087244961835.html
 |title=Revisiting the Hanan Ashrawi affair
 |date=16 June 2004
|work=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]
 |publisher=[[Fairfax Media]]}}</ref>

In 2005, AIJAC praised [[Prime Minister of Israel|Israeli Prime Minister]] [[Ariel Sharon]]'s [[Israeli disengagement from Gaza|decision to withdraw]] from the [[Gaza Strip]], claiming that it proved Israel's commitment to peace. AIJAC and most Australian Jewish groups supported the withdrawal from Gaza. AIJAC National Chairman Mark Leibler disagreed with the State Zionist Council of Victoria president Dr Danny Lamm and the State Zionist Council of New South Wales' president Brian Levitan's opposition to the disengagement from Gaza, stating that communal leaders should not express views that "are at odds with the views of the constituency". At the same time, Leibler defended the right to protest by elements of the Jewish community opposed to the Gaza disengagement. AIJAC analyst Ted Lapkin claimed that [[Hamas]]'s electoral success during the [[2006 Palestinian legislative election]] reflected a long record of Palestinians "spurning opportunities for peace".{{sfn|Loewenstein|2006|pp=169, 171-73}}

===2010s===
In 2016, AIJAC accused then senator [[Nick Xenophon]] of being "highly and one-sidedly critical of Israel" during his time in the [[Australian Senate]]. The organisation also criticised the [[Australian Greens]] for trying to make Israel the "sole-aggressor" against Palestine.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dowling |first1=James |title=Federal election 2016: Greens and Xenophon 'anti-Israel', says lobby group |url=https://www.news.com.au/national/federal-election/federal-election-2016-greens-and-xenophon-antijew-says-lobby-group/news-story/82600a2408c3d266ab9f59b613996d42 |access-date=15 July 2019 |work=[[News.com.au]] |date=30 June 2016}}</ref>

In 2018, AIJAC lodged a complaint against the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] regarding an online article which claimed that [[Hamas]] was declared a terrorist organisation because of it activities against Israeli "occupation" of Palestine. The ABC complaints unit agreed with AIJAC that Hamas's status was not, according to the Australian Government, based on any occupation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Complaint Two: ABC |url=http://www.jwire.com.au/complaint-two-abc/ |access-date=15 July 2019 |publisher=J-Wire |date=9 August 2018}}</ref> Dr. Rubenstein said:
{{quotation|"The ABC news coverage of events in Gaza and Israel’s south on... July 15, was indeed problematic, setting out the Israeli attacks against Gaza without providing adequate context of the reasons for these strikes... However, we note that the reports... on that night’s ABC TV news and the following morning’s ‘AM’ program on ABC radio were a significant improvement... We hope that the latter two reports are indicative that future ABC reporting on Israel will endeavor to be professional and fair, as it has sometimes failed to be in the recent past."<ref>{{cite news |title=AIJAC sees an improvement in the ABC |url=http://www.jwire.com.au/aijac-sees-an-improvement-in-the-abc/ |access-date=15 July 2019 |publisher=J-Wire |date=17 June 2018}}</ref>}}

===2020s===
In October 2022, AIJAC joined [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]] leader [[Peter Dutton]], the [[Zionist Federation of Australia]] and [[Executive Council of Australian Jewry]] (ECAJ) in criticising the [[Albanese government]]'s decision to reverse the [[Morrison government]]'s recognition of Jerusalem as the Australian Jewish community.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shanahan |first=Rodger |date=2023-08-09 |title=Australian politics and the Israeli–Palestinian issue |url=https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australian-politics-and-the-israeli-palestinian-issue/ |access-date=2023-12-25 |work=The Strategist |publisher=[[Australian Strategic Policy Institute]] |language=en-AU |archive-date=2023-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225232715/https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australian-politics-and-the-israeli-palestinian-issue/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Knott |first=Matthew |date=2023-08-09 |title=Palestine leaps upon 'occupied' shift, urges full recognition of statehood |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/palestine-leaps-upon-occupied-shift-urges-full-recognition-of-statehood-20230809-p5dv6b.html |access-date=2023-12-25 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |language=en |archive-date=2023-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225232713/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/palestine-leaps-upon-occupied-shift-urges-full-recognition-of-statehood-20230809-p5dv6b.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2022 Australian Jewish journalist [[Antony Loewenstein]] criticised AIJAC and the ECAJ for supporting Israel's military occupation of the Palestinians.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Loewenstein |first=Antony |date=11 November 2022 |title=Australian Jews are changing their views on Israel. And they need a new voice |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/australian-jews-are-changing-their-views-on-israel-and-they-need-a-new-voice-20221109-p5bwv1.html |access-date=25 December 2023 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430172055/https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/australian-jews-are-changing-their-views-on-israel-and-they-need-a-new-voice-20221109-p5bwv1.html|archive-date=30 April 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>