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Journalist John Pilger. Photo: AJN file

DALIA SABLE

THE Australian Jewish community has expressed concern over the award of the 2009 Sydney Peace Prize to Australian journalist, author and filmmaker John Pilger.

Pilger, a supporter of Palestinian causes and a critic of Israel, received the award for his “commitment to peace with justice by exposing and holding governments to account for human rights abuses and for fearless challenges to censorship in any form”.

President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) Robert Goot said that bestowing the honour on Pilger “reflects adversely on the institute awarding the prize”.

“Awarding a peace prize to John Pilger is bizarre and disgraceful,” Goot said. “Pilger does not promote peace, but is a polemicist, a distorter of facts and history, and he promotes an extreme Palestinian narrative at the expense of Israel’s narrative and objective analysis.”
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Journalist John Pilger. Photo: AJN file

AUSTRALIAN Jewish leaders are upset over the awarding of the Sydney Peace Prize to a staunch critic of Israel. John Pilger, an award-winning Australian-born journalist and filmmaker living in London, will receive the Sydney Peace Prize in November.

Robert Goot, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said it was a “sad day”.

“Pilger has done nothing to promote peace but has only promoted one side of the [Mid-East] dispute,” he told J-Wire, a local Jewish website.

“He lacks objectivity and his pronouncements are often replete with factual inaccuracies and distortion of history. His uncritical acceptance of one side’s narrative is made at the expense of Israel’s position.”

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president Robin Margo said the decision was “a disgrace”.
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