Jake Lynch (born 1965) is a journalist, academic and writer, and a scholarly authority within the fields of peace journalism and peace research. [1] [2] [3] He is an academic with the University of Sydney, although for 2020 he is on secondment as a Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University, UK. [2] [1]
Lynch attended Cardiff University, where he completed a BA degree in English (First Class Honours) in 1988 and a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism Studies (Distinction) with Cardiff University in 1989. [2] He subsequently attended City University, London, where he completed a PhD degree in 2008. [2]
Lynch worked as a journalist for two decades,[ when? ] including work with The Independent , the Sky News and with BBC News. [4] Latterly,[ when? ] he has worked in academia, and currently holds the position of Associate Professor within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sydney University. [2] He was formerly Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Sydney University, and later Chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the university. [2] [5] Lynch has also previously served as Secretary-General of the International Peace Research Association, [6] and has held visiting fellowships with the universities of Cardiff, Bristol and Johannesburg. [7] [8]
Lynch has received numerous awards, most recently the Luxembourg Peace Prize for his work in peace journalism. [1]
Lynch has been active in human rights campaigns, in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, and in campaigns for Palestinian rights. [9] [10] [11] In 2013, Shurat HaDin, an Israeli NGO, commenced legal action in the Federal Court of Australia against Lynch, alleging a breach of Australia's anti-racism laws over Lynch's active support for the BDS campaign. [12] The case, however, was subsequently dismissed by His Honour Justice Alan Robertson, with costs in favour of Lynch. [13] [14]
In March 2015, Lynch was investigated by the University of Sydney after confronting attendees at a pro-Israel talk at the university featuring retired British Colonel and pro-Israel advocate Richard Kemp. Lynch was criticised for thrusting money in the face of at least one Jew. [15] [16] One video of the incident showed him telling a woman, "this is going to cost you a lot of money", after she allegedly kicked him in the groin [17] [18] , and another video showed her throwing water at a different protester [19] . In late April 2015, Lynch was cleared of allegations of anti-Semitism by the University of Sydney, a decision by welcomed by Palestinian advocates but criticised by Jewish groups. [17]
Jewish Voice for Peace is an anti-Zionist left-wing Jewish activist organization in the United States that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.
Peace journalism is a style and theory of reporting that aims to treat stories about war and conflict with balance, in contrast to war journalism, which peace journalism advocates say display a bias toward violence. The theory proposes practical methods for correcting biases in stories appearing in the mainstream and alternative media, and suggests ways for journalists to work with other media professionals, audiences, and organizations in conflict.
StandWithUs (SWU) is a nonprofit pro-Israel education and advocacy organization founded in Los Angeles in 2001 by Roz Rothstein, Jerry Rothstein, and Esther Renzer.
Akiva Eldar is an Israeli political analyst, author and journalist.
Shurat HaDin is an Israeli non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in Tel Aviv in 2003. Shurat HaDin has been described by some as a civil rights organization and others as a pro-Israel lawfare-waging NGO.
Colonel Richard Justin Kemp is a retired British Army officer who served from 1977 to 2006. Kemp was an infantry battalion commanding officer. Among his assignments were the command of Operation Fingal in Afghanistan from July to November 2003. After retiring Kemp co-wrote Attack State Red with Chris Hughes, an account of the 2007 Afghanistan campaign undertaken by the Royal Anglian Regiment, documenting their initial deployment.
The Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy is an Israeli government ministry responsible for leading the campaign of expanding the Abraham Accords and the handling of ties on White House matters.
The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) is a Ramallah based Palestinian non-profit organization that was established in 1986 to improve the performance and professionalism of Palestinian farmers. The Union also aims to help Palestinian farmers market their produce and provides agricultural employment opportunities through a framework of cooperation with domestic, Arab, and international agricultural development institutions.
The Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS), a secular organisation, was formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1984 to promote free discussion and action on Jewish and general social and political issues. It grew out of a profound concern at the continuing Arab–Israeli conflict, though some of its members had been active on the left since at least the 1930s in Europe. Others had been born in Israel or Australia, or spent considerable time in Israel. Others came out of the anti-Vietnam war and peace movements. Some key members had strong links to the Israeli peace movement, the Jewish left, Labor Zionism, or other Jewish religious and cultural traditions. More recently, members with strong environmental concerns have become active.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, or ECAJ, is an official peak national body representing the Australian Jewish community. It is the umbrella organisation for over 200 Jewish organisations across Australia. It is the Australian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, the worldwide umbrella organisation of Jewish communities. It is also affiliated with the Commonwealth Jewish Council, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations under international law, defined as withdrawal from the occupied territories, removal of the separation barrier in the West Bank, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and "respecting, protecting, and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties". The movement is organized and coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee.
Devanand Noel "Dave" Sharma is an Australian politician and former public servant and diplomat who has served as Senator for New South Wales since November 2023. Prior to that, he served as the member for Wentworth in the House of Representatives from 2019 to 2022, when he lost the seat to independent challenger Allegra Spender. He is a member of the Liberal Party.
Boycotts of Israel are the refusal and calls to refusal of having commercial or social dealings with Israel in order to influence Israel's practices and policies by means of using economic pressure. The specific objective of Israel boycotts varies; the BDS movement calls for boycotts of Israel "until it meets its obligations under international law", and the purpose of the Arab League's boycott of Israel was to prevent Arab states and others to contribute to Israel's economy. Israel believes that boycotts against it are antisemitic.
The current campaign for an academic boycott of Israel was launched in April 2004 by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) as part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. The campaign calls for BDS activities against Israel to put international pressure on Israel, in this case against Israeli academic institutions, all of which are said by PACBI to be implicated in the perpetuation of Israeli occupation, in order to achieve BDS goals. Since then, proposals for academic boycotts of particular Israeli universities and academics have been made by academics and organisations in Palestine, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries. The goal of the proposed academic boycotts is to isolate Israel in order to force a change in Israel's policies towards the Palestinians, which proponents argue are discriminatory and oppressive, including oppressing the academic freedom of Palestinians.
The American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) is an American nonprofit organization founded in 2006.
As'ad AbuKhalil is a Lebanese-American professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus.
Reactions to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) refer to the views of international actors on the BDS movement.
Anti-Palestinianism or anti-Palestinian sentiment, also called anti-Palestinian racism, refers to prejudice, collective hatred, and discrimination directed at the Palestinian people for any variety of reasons. Since the mid-20th century, the phenomenon has largely overlapped with anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians today are Arabs and Muslims. Historically, however, anti-Palestinianism was more closely identified with European antisemitism, as far-right Europeans detested the Jewish people as undesirable foreigners from Palestine. Modern anti-Palestinianism—that is, xenophobia with regard to the Arab people of Palestine—is most common in Israel, the United States, and Lebanon, among other countries.
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