Sydney Writers’ Festival faces backlash over Israel-Palestine programming

Despite festival organisers insisting that their programming is not politically motivated, the programme for this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) is overwhelmingly dominated by anti-Israel speakers.

Festival artistic director Ann Mossop claims the event is not a “political festival” and that speakers were not chosen “based on political beliefs, but on their work,” however the speaker lineup tells a different story.

With at least nine voices critical of Israel and only two Israeli speakers appearing, the festival’s claims of neutrality appear increasingly questionable. This imbalance has fueled accusations that SWF is not fostering a “nuanced conversation” but rather reinforcing a singular, ideological perspective.

A Festival Theme of Inclusion, Yet Virtually Excluding Pro-Israel Voices

Ironically, the festival’s 2025 theme, “In This Together,” is meant to promote inclusivity and shared understanding. However, its Israel-Palestine programming features an almost exclusively anti-Israel lineup, with few prominent Zionist or mainstream Israeli perspectives represented.

The controversy escalated following the recent resignation of festival chair Kathy Shand, who stepped down over concerns about the lack of balance. Shand, who had served as chair for two years and was a board member for over a decade, resigned after internal disagreements over the way Israel and the Palestinian conflict were being represented in the festival’s program. In her resignation statement, she warned that “freedom of expression cannot and should not be used as a justification to accept language and conversations that compromise the festival as a safe and inclusive space for all audiences.”

Festival artistic director Ann Mossop dismissed concerns about the imbalance, arguing that counting perspectives on ‘both sides’ was tokenistic and that the festival was focused on bringing voices from international perspectives rather than curating panels for ideological balance. “The idea that writers are coming to the writers’ festival to prosecute a political point of view is ludicrous.”

Yet, the festival’s own program is filled with authors who have taken strong political stances on Israel, nearly all from the same perspective.

A Speaker Lineup Dominated by Anti-Israel Voices

The festival prominently features Michael Mohammed Ahmad, an Australian writer and activist who has accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and genocide. At an event for the Asylum Seekers’ Centre in December 2023, he stated “I am expected to condemn Hamas, I know. But I won’t.” He is also a key organizer of Writers and Thinkers for Palestine, an initiative advocating against Israeli policies. Similarly, Peter Beinart, once a prominent liberal Zionist, now openly supports a binational state instead of a Jewish state and has argued that Israel should cease to exist in its current form.

Raja Shehadeh, a Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist, has long described Israeli rule in the West Bank as apartheid. His latest book, Forgotten: Searching for Palestine’s Hidden Places and Lost Memorials, explores themes of Palestinian displacement under Israeli control. Likewise, Plestia Alaqad, a Palestinian journalist, has dedicated her work to documenting civilian suffering in Gaza. Her book, The Eyes of Gaza, is a first-hand account of life under Israeli airstrikes.

Jumaana Abdu, an Australian-Egyptian-Palestinian author, draws parallels between Indigenous struggles in Australia and Palestinian resistance in her debut novel Translations, while Areej Sabbagh-Khoury, a Palestinian sociologist, has focused her academic work on framing Zionism as a settler-colonial project.

Antony Loewenstein, a Jewish-Australian writer and outspoken critic of Israel, is another key figure at the festival. His book, The Palestine Laboratory, delves into Israel’s global military technology industry and strongly supports the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement against Israel. Loewenstein has repeatedly called for international action to isolate Israel on the world stage.

Palestinian-Australian poet and playwright Samah Sabawi will also appear at the festival, presenting her book Cactus Pear for My Beloved, which explores Palestinian displacement and resistance. She will participate in the panel Stories of Palestine alongside Hasib Hourani, a Lebanese-Palestinian writer whose work centers on Palestinian displacement, and Micaela Sahhar, an Australian-Palestinian writer and educator whose book Find Me at the Jaffa Gate explores similar themes.

Other speakers include Luke Weyland, an activist and journalist who has consistently covered the conflict from a pro-Palestinian perspective as well as Sara M. Saleh, whose book Songs for the Dead and the Living presents a coming-of-age tale linking Palestinian displacement with experiences in Australia. Saleh has repeatedly expressed support for “armed resistance”. Additionally, Bilal Hafda, who will host the Bankstown Poetry Slam at the festival, has been a key organizer of pro-Palestinian literary protests.

A Virtual Lack of Zionist Voices

Despite this overwhelming representation of speakers critical of Israel, one of the festival’s few explicitly Israeli speakers, Ittay Flescher, will not even appear in person; he will participate via video link. Flescher, a journalist advocating for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, is far from an unambiguous defender of Israeli government policies. The only other Israeli voice, Shaul Arieli, is a retired officer who supports a two-state solution but is widely known for his harsh criticism of Israeli policies, particularly regarding settlements.

Michael Gawenda and Philippe Sands are featured in a session on rising antisemitism and xenophobia. While antisemitism is a serious concern with connections to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the focus of this session does not directly address the political or historical perspectives of the conflict from an Israeli viewpoint.  Another Jewish speaker, Yael van der Wouden will focuses on Holocaust memory rather than contemporary Israeli issues.

Contradictions in the Festival’s Defence

Despite this glaring lack of balance, Mossop insists that the festival is not ideologically driven, stating:

“We’re not including people because of their political opinions, or excluding them. We’re choosing a variety of writers based on their work.”

Yet, many of the invited authors are known primarily for their activism on Israel-Palestine rather than purely their literary contributions. Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Samah Sabawi, and Antony Loewenstein, for example, are not merely novelists or poets but prominent political activists engaged in anti-Israel advocacy.

Mossop has also said:

“We have no tolerance for racism or bigotry of any kind. We have no tolerance for hate speech.”

Critics argue that while the festival may reject outright hate speech, its decision to exclude nearly all pro-Israel or Zionist voices while amplifying perspectives that frame Israel as a colonialist aggressor suggests a clear ideological bias. Kathy Shand was approached by J-Wire for comment on the programme but declined to comment. On social media, many jewish people have expressed disappointment or outrage over the unbalanced selection of speakers. Some have even expressed their concern about attending stating that they would feel unsafe in such an antagonistic environment.

Orli Zahava, President of the Zionist Council of NSW said “We are deeply disappointed that the organisers of this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival have chosen to present such a one-sided view on Israel-Palestine. A festival that claims to foster diverse perspectives should not exclude voices that challenge its predetermined narrative. We urge them to ensure greater balance in future programming.”

A Writers’ Festival or an Activist Platform?

The Sydney Writers’ Festival claims to be a space for storytelling and dialogue rather than political advocacy. However, its overwhelmingly anti-Israel programming suggests otherwise. By systematically excluding Zionist and mainstream Israeli voices while hosting a wide array of speakers who frame Israel as a colonial and apartheid state, the festival appears to have taken a clear political stance rather than fostering true debate.

Whether this serves the interests of literary discourse or transforms the festival into an ideological platform remains an open question.