Killing the Idea of Palestine Through a Thousand Cuts.
Discussing the brutalization of Palestinians, the millions displaced, and the thousands killed is no longer shocking news. However, what is alarming is that some in the West seem to believe this is insufficient. The unsaid message appears to be that the Genocide hasn’t gone far enough. There are numerous instances to illustrate this, but a recent event in Queensland, Australia, deserves attention.
Context: The incident involves Jazz Money, an award-winning, Sydney-based First Nations (Wiradjuri) poet and artist of Irish heritage. One of her recent publications is an illustrated children’s book titled “Bila, A River Cycle.” This book addresses environmental issues, narrates the journey of a river from the mountains to the sea, and educates children about waterway pollution and how they can help protect our environment. Jazz collaborated with Matt Chun, a writer, illustrator, and picture-book maker affiliated with the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne. They began working on “Bila” in 2022, with a planned release date in January of this year.
However, this project became contentious for some in Australia, particularly for Rupert Murdoch, the media baron known for his extreme right-wing politics and a criminal history that includes bribing government officials and hacking the phones of celebrities and members of the royal family in the UK.
As news of the launch of “Bila” broke, a local newspaper owned by Murdoch, called *The Australian*, initiated a hostile campaign against Chun, accusing him of being an “antisemite.” The term “antisemitism” has become a powerful weapon, often used without the need for evidence or explanation. Why was Chun labeled as such? This accusation stemmed from an article he wrote titled “We Don’t Mourn Fascists,” in response to the Bondi Beach attack, where he criticized Australian Zionists for exploiting the tragedy to garner support for Israel, especially as sympathy for the Palestinian cause was growing in Australia.
Did “Bila” contain antisemitic themes? No. So why the uproar? This highlights how the term antisemitism is weaponized to silence dissenting voices and stigmatize critics, leaving them defensive.
The University of Queensland Press (UQP), responsible for publishing “Bila,” immediately went into damage control and chose the easy route: they canceled the project entirely, even destroying 5,000 copies of the book that were ready for sale.
On April 22, the University’s dean of humanities, Heather Zwicker, sent a series of emails to UQP staff, stating that Chun’s comments “do not align with UQ’s policies and values, including its adopted definition of antisemitism.”
These emails made no mention of antisemitism in the text or illustrations of “Bila”; instead, they suggested that Chun’s past work rendered him “an unacceptable author” for UQP to publish.
Notably, *The Australian* did not mention the book’s author, Jazz Money, focusing solely on Chun. The reason was clear: they had no quotes to discredit her.
Fallout: The reaction from authors and academics has been one of disgust and anger. Evelyn Araluen, a multiple-prize-winning poet and a prominent Indigenous writer published by UQP, has severed her ties with the publisher. In an email to UQP, which she shared on Instagram, she described the decision as “cultural violence,” stating:
“You have made a decision today to destroy culture, to destroy story, and to destroy any pretense of integrity that UQP might have once held in the community.”
First Nations author and publisher Anita Heiss expressed her support for Jazz Money and Evelyn Araluen on Facebook, stating that “every author and academic should be appalled and concerned about this attack on free speech.”
Randa Abdel-Fattah, a prominent Australian-Palestinian writer and award-winning author, has severed ties with UQP, her publisher. In an email to local media, she expressed her shock at what she described as UQP’s “shameful and cowardly decision” to yield to a Murdoch-driven smear campaign by canceling the publication of “Bila.”
She stated, “I want you to imagine that one day, people will study this moment. They will read books chronicling how institutions and the arts responded to genocide. And they will learn about a publisher pulping 5,000 picture storybooks written by a brilliant, generous, principled, and fierce First Nations poet to appease a racist, pro-genocidal media and political elitists.”
Abdel-Fattah is not alone in this fight; she is among more than 30 UQP authors who have written to the publisher urging it to fulfill its contractual obligation to publish “Bila.” Other authors supporting her include Allison Whittaker, Amy McQuire, Tony Birch, Sara M. Saleh, and Omar Sakr.
When contacted by local podcasters, Jazz described UQP’s decision as “awful.” She added, “It’s environmentally reckless, disrespectful of Aboriginal storytelling, and it sets a chilling standard where any perceived activism for Palestine puts livelihoods at risk.”
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