Sydney Writers’ Festival faces criticism over antizionist bias in programming
The Sydney Writers’ Festival is drawing sharp criticism for what Jewish community leaders describe as a heavily one-sided approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict in its 2026 program. Critics argue the festival has prioritised anti-Israel perspectives in Gaza-focused sessions while sidelining Israeli voices and any reference to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks that killed about 1200 people and saw 251 hostages taken.
Randa Abdel-Fattah Photo: X
The festival, running from May 17 to 24 at Carriageworks and Sydney Town Hall, features more than 200 events and about 250 writers under the theme “Show Me the Truth”. Artistic director Ann Mossop and chief executive Brooke Webb have defended the lineup as a platform for open debate on complex issues rather than an endorsement of any political position.
Several Gaza-related sessions have drawn scrutiny. One panel “What We Know About Gaza” brings together Palestinian policy analyst Tareq Baconi, whose memoir ‘Fire in Every Direction’ frames the conflict through a ‘Palestinian perspective’; antizionist Jew Antony Loewenstein, author of ‘The Palestine Laboratory’, and journalist Nour Haydar who reportedly resigned from the ABC because of the “death and destruction” occurring in Gaza. Program material highlights the deaths of more than 100 Palestinian journalists since October 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the challenges of reporting from Gaza.
Critics note that the event description focuses on the humanitarian impact of the war without reference to the October 7 attacks, the continuing hostage crisis involving dozens of captives believed to remain in Gaza, or Israel’s stated security rationale for the campaign.
On May 23, Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha will join via video from Gaza to read from his collection Forest of Noise, poems described as expressing anger and longing amid the destruction of the war.
The most contentious inclusion is Palestinian-Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah, who appears in two sessions. In one she discusses her novel ‘Discipline’, set in Sydney during Ramadan 2021 as characters grapple with silence during the Gaza conflict that year. In the other, titled “Silenced”, she joins Lebanese-Australian writer Michael Mohammed Ahmad and former ABC journalist Antoinette Lattouf to discuss topics they argue have become off limits in public debate.
Abdel-Fattah’s invitation follows controversy surrounding Adelaide Writers’ Week earlier this year, where her removal from the program contributed to a major boycott by authors, board resignations and the eventual cancellation of the event.
In social media posts in 2024 Abdel-Fattah called for “decolonisation and the end of this murderous Zionist colony” and shared content alleging Israel’s founding relied on violence against Palestinians.
Jewish organisations have criticised the Gaza programming as unbalanced. Zionist Council of NSW president Orli Zahava expressed disappointment that a festival claiming to value diverse views had excluded perspectives challenging what she described as a predetermined narrative. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said many Jewish Australians would find little reassurance in claims that the invited writers were not advancing political arguments.
Corporate reaction followed. KPMG, the festival’s auditor, asked for its logo to be removed from the website’s partners section after Abdel-Fattah’s inclusion was confirmed. Festival organisers clarified that KPMG is not a sponsor and updated the site accordingly.
Internal tensions have also surfaced within the organisation. Former chair Kathy Shand, who is Jewish and sits on the board of the Sydney Jewish Museum, resigned in February 2025 following disagreements about the previous year’s program.
She warned that freedom of expression should not justify programming that undermines the festival’s responsibility to provide a safe and inclusive environment. Robert Watkins now serves as chair.
Festival leaders point to sessions addressing antisemitism and Jewish Australian experiences. “After Bondi” on May 17 brings together Jewish writers including Jessica Chapnik Kahn, Israeli-Australian author Lee Kofman, pianist Simon Tedeschi and former Sydney Morning Herald editor Michael Visontay. The discussion reflects on grief, resilience and the sense of vulnerability within the Jewish community following the December 14, 2025 Bondi attack.
Another session, “Holding Up the Mirror” on May 21, features Kofman, BBC journalist Jon Sopel, Visontay and academic Avril Alba discussing antisemitism in Australia and internationally.
Despite these inclusions, critics argue the imbalance remains clear. Gaza-focused panels feature Palestinian or strongly critical perspectives on Israel, while the program includes no Israeli officials, October 7 survivors or analysts presenting Israel’s position.
The dispute reflects wider tensions across Australia’s cultural sector over how the Israel-Hamas war should be discussed in public forums. New hate speech laws introduced in early 2026, along with pressure from donors, activists and boycott campaigns, have left literary festivals navigating an increasingly fraught political landscape.
