National Press Club slams critics of Israeli envoy’s address
Press Club CEO sends explosive mass email accusing complainants of ‘conspiracy theories’ and ‘hate speech’
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National Press Club CEO Maurice Reilly has hit out at critics of the press club’s decision to host the Israeli ambassador, saying those concerned about Israel’s actions should “take it up with your elected representatives”.
In a mass email to people who objected to the invitation to Israeli envoy Hillel Newman, Reilly blasted what he called “conspiracy theories” that the press club is “captured” by Israeli or Jewish lobby groups, or biased toward Israeli speakers.
Newman addressed the National Press Club (NPC) on March 31, sparking a wave of condemnation that the envoy of a state found to be committing genocide was granted such a prominent platform.
The NPC CEO alleged that a number of the complaints were “vile and abusive, including antisemitism and hate speech,” which the press club intended to forward to the Australian Federal Police “and other national security agencies”.
“The authors of these emails should reflect that their communications are read by our front line and mainly young and female staff. They are not fair game, and the club takes its duty of care very seriously to protect them,” Reilly said.
“I am sure you are aware [of] the hate speech legislation [that] has been passed by the Australian Parliament.”
Reilly did not share examples of antisemitism in his emails, nor clarified whether he referred to criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
He explicitly denied a frequent claim made in the complaints that the press club “is ‘captured’ by the Israeli and Jewish lobby groups such as the EAJC [sic], AIJAC, ZFA and AJA and Defence companies that supply the Israel Government”, which he said had “no basis in truth”.
“The press club board is independent of any lobby group. That also includes APAN, AFOPA and Free Palestine and similar entities,” he said.
The press club boasts more than 80 corporate and government sponsors, including several international arms manufacturers that supply weapons and military equipment to the Israeli government.
‘Take it up with elected representatives’
Addressing what he termed the “civil and constructive” objections the press club received, Reilly defended Newman’s invitation on free speech and public interest grounds.
“The core complaint is that Ambassador Newman should not have been invited because he or his government offends you,” Reilly said.
“Unfortunately, free speech is not without its challenges, but censorship in this case is an anathema to democracy, media freedom and the National press club. You should never conclude that any speaker at the National Press Club in our 63-year history is an endorsed position of the club’s board or management.”
“If you have an issue with Israel being represented in Australia, then you take it up with [your] elected representatives,” he said.
He also cited previous press club appearances by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, former UN Commission of Inquiry chair Navi Pillay, human rights experts Chris Sidoti and Professor Ben Saul and UNICEF Australia global spokesperson James Elder as evidence against the criticism that the Press Club “is biased toward Israeli speakers”.
“Most critics would be hard-pressed to suggest that any of these speakers as ‘Friends of Israel’,” Reilly said.
Reilly also revealed that the press club has formally invited Abu Al-Izz, the State of Palestine’s new ambassador, to give an address, and is seeking to extend an invitation to Lebanese ambassador Mirna Khawly.
In March 2022, the press club withdrew a speaking invitation to then-Russian ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky, citing “allegations of war crimes and bombing of civilian targets” in Ukraine, as well as “media censorship in Russia”.
Responding to questions from Deepcut, Reilly claimed the press club withdrew Pavlovsky’s invitation because the Russian embassy “wanted an altered format” for Pavlovsky’s address, and because “the board formed a late view that we would not learn much from this Ambassador that was not already known at the time”.
NPC denies ‘soft’ questioning of Israeli ambassador
Newman, who was appointed as Israel’s envoy to Canberra in February, used his press club address to claim – without evidence – that Australian protesters against Israel’s genocide in Gaza “celebrated the slaughter of Jews and Israelis”, and that pro-Palestinian “graffiti and vandalism... escalated to bullets on Bondi Beach”.
Newman also repeated Israeli government talking points that have been exhaustively debunked by human rights organisations, aid agencies, the UN and foreign media, such as that “the majority of all the so-called journalists” killed by Israel since October 2023 “were actually activists guised as journalists”. Many of Newman’s incendiary remarks were left unchallenged by mainstream Australian journalists in the audience.
Nevertheless, Reilly hit back at criticism that questions from mainstream journalists in the room were “soft”, citing a question from SBS reporter Anna Henderson about Israel’s killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom,
“There were no ‘soft’ questions by journalists at this address in my opinion,” Reilly said in the email.
He also revealed to complainants that he personally decided not to advertise Newman’s address on the press club’s website or social media channels “to protect my staff from a predictable email and phone pile on from [the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network] and its network”.
APAN President Nasser Mashni called the press club’s invitation to Newman “disgraceful” last week, saying it “cannot claim to uphold journalistic integrity while platforming oppressors and silencing voices for the oppressed”.
APAN did not respond to Reilly’s comments.
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So free speech for Newman, but forward contentious emails to the authorities.
The NPC has platformed a genocide supporter. At this stage in the genocide. Nothing that Reilly is reported to have said here defends that decision. His arguments are as shabby as they are tiresome.
This chap is really just Exhibit A, or Z, or something. Evidence of the extraordinary power of the Zionist lobby, which has so gulled the world that people like him will enthusiastically promote evil as though it isn't.