Conference apologises for banning Israeli specialist

Conference organisers said there was too much risk in allowing trauma expert Dr Moshe Farchi to speak at the Gold Coast event, following an abusive pro-Palestinian campaign.

The Executive Director of the Australia New Zealand Mental Health Association’s has apologised for withdrawing an invitation to keynote speaker Dr Moshe Farchi after a boycott campaign.

Professor Philip Morris made the apology at a Zionist Federation of Australia webinar, where he had been invited to speak about  the decision to disinvite Dr Farchi from the Frontline Mental Health Conference earlier this month.

Professor Morris apologised to both Dr Farchi and the Australian Jewish community, labelling the decision to cancel Dr Farchi from the conference in early March as "wrong" and "a big mistake".

Jewish community leaders welcomed the apology.

Dr Farchi was forced to withdraw at the last-minute from the Frontline Mental Health Conference in Queensland, following a boycott campaign against platforming the Israeli trauma specialist.

Conference organisers said they had received a “high volume of online abuse and telephone calls” from pro-Palestinian protestors and activists demanding they ban Farchi, who had been advertised as a keynote presenter.

The campaign, is the latest in a long line of doxing incidents against Jewish organisations and individuals in Australia, as tensions stemming from the Israel-Hamas war increase.

Conference organisers said they consulted a security expert and decided to cancel Farchi’s registration “in the interests of safety only” because there was “insufficient time” to conduct a thorough risk assessment and ensure the protection of the more than 280 conference attendees.

Conference host and CEO of the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMHA) Sam Stewart said that despite the decision, the association had “not taken a position on the current conflict between Palestine and Israel”.

But the decision was treated as a win by the organisers of a Change.org petition – a coalition of pro-Palestinian health organisations, which called for Farchi’s dismissal and for the boycott of the conference “in solidarity with Palestinian communities”.

The coalition – which includes the Australia Palestine Mental Health Network, Australian Social Workers For Palestine, Families For Palestine, Mental Health Workers For Palestine and the Shifa Project – cited Farchi’s affiliation with the IDF as a key reason behind the boycott calls.

A specialist in trauma and emergency mental health, Farchi simultaneously leads the social work department at Israel’s Tel-Hai Academic College, while also serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Home Front Command of the IDF, where he is responsible for planning and implementing an esteemed psychological first aid model. Farchi had been scheduled to give sessions at the conference on resilience and psychological first aid.

“It is crucial for the association to uphold its commitment towards promoting mental health without compromising human rights principles,” read the Change.org petition, which received almost 180 signatories.

"To end complicity in Israel’s violations of international law, Palestinian civil society calls for an academic boycott of complicit Israeli academic institutions. Refusing to normalize oppression, many associations, unions and academics now support the academic boycott of Israel.

“Please sign this petition if you believe that conferences of this magnitude should not provide a platform to individuals associated with institutions facing such serious allegations, and instead prioritize ethical considerations when selecting keynote speakers.”

The petition said the conference organisers had failed to address systemic injustices and called for them to “prioritise speakers who align with the values of justice, equity and solidarity”.

It also asked the public to lobby the conference organisers to better acknowledge the ongoing trauma in Palestine and to urge sponsors to reconsider their involvement in the event.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said he is “appalled” at the decision and treatment of Farchi, and called on the ANZMHA to “immediately apologise”.

“Let’s be clear, Dr Farchi wasn’t cancelled because of anything he has said or done. He was cancelled because of the threat of violence of a bigoted few. He was cancelled because conference organisers folded in the face of intimidation,” Leibler said.

“The intimidation tactics that led to the cancellation were bred in antisemitism. Those behind this move object to the existence of the world’s only Jewish state.

“Beyond the appalling treatment metered out to Dr Farchi in the face of bullying, conference organisers have also denied conference participants the opportunity to benefit from Israeli experiences and expertise. This kind of boycott activity is always self-defeating.”

This sentiment is echoed by other Jewish organisations, including the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), which labelled the decision as “cowardly” and “discriminatory”.

The costs of Farchi’s accommodation and flights will be covered by the conference.

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