University of Tasmania lecturer Adel Yousif outrages Jewish community over ‘Hamas is legitimate’ claim

A senior university lecturer has described Hamas as a ‘legitimate resistance movement’ and denied Israel’s right to exist ‘in its current form’, drawing complaints from the Jewish community.

University of Tasmania senior lecturer Adel Yousif with sociology student Owen Gregory and marine biology masters student Hannah Levit at the encampment on the UTAS Sandy Bay Campus. Picture: Linda Higginson

A senior university lecturer has ­repeatedly described Hamas as being a “legitimate resistance movement” and denied Israel’s right to exist “in its current form”, sparking ­com­plaints from the Jewish ­community.

University of Tasmania food scientist Adel Yousif, who has Palestinian heritage, has been a guest speaker at pro-­Palestinian events in recent months, expressing views described by some as “Hamas propaganda”.

Complaints to UTAS have so far met with a defence of Dr Yousif, on free speech grounds, while he told The Australian he was “not a Hamas supporter” and opposed only the “current Israeli model of incessant violent colonisation”.

Concerns within the Jewish community focus in part on information written by Dr Yousif and shown on a projector screen at an “Educators for Peace” event in Hobart on June 26.

It lists “misconceptions”, including that “Israel has a right to exist”.

“It does not have the right to exist in its current form of bigotry, racism and apartheid,” Dr Yousif’s projection says.

Another “misconception”, it states, is that Hamas is a terrorist organisation. “Every colonisation project in history has a legitimate resistance movement,” says the projection, which appeared to have been removed from Facebook after The Australian made inquiries.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry condemned the mat­erial. “Hamas (is) a designated terrorist organisation which has butchered, raped, mutilated and kidnapped civilians in Israel,” said Peter Wertheim, the executive council’s co-chief executive.

“It is bad enough that this sort of Orwellian propaganda is being disseminated to teachers … it is truly horrifying to think that this is all in preparation for teachers to indoctrinate their students with the same hateful lies, and with the imprimatur of a university.”

University of Tasmania academic Dr Adel Yousif, second from right, at an Educators for Peace event in Hobart on June 26. Picture: Facebook

Dr Yousif said his comments reflected categorisations of Israel as a “racist apartheid state” by “highly respected organisations”, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

“I am not anti-Semitic – my comments have nothing to do with, and are no reflection on, ­people of Jewish faith,” Dr Yousif told The Australian.

“I am not a Hamas supporter. It is the only party in Palestinian life that can claim a legitimate democratic mandate to govern Palestinians. The right of colonised people to resist their coloniser, including by means of armed struggle, is enshrined in UN resolutions … 160 countries do not consider Hamas a terrorist group.”

Members of the Jewish community have complained to UTAS about Dr Yousif’s alleged comments at a Q&A session following the screening of a pro-Palestinian film in Deloraine, northern Tasmania, in April.

An attendee at that event, Zsuzsanna Handelsmann, told UTAS management that Dr Yousif had used words to the effect of “Israel has no right to exist”, Jews in Israel should “go back where they came from”, “Hamas is a legitimate resistance movement”, and there was “no peaceful way” to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“I think his message is threatening the social fabric,” Ms Handelsmann told The Australian.

“He is spreading hatred and endless strife without any hope of compromise.”

Dr Yousif rejected Ms Handelsmann’s account and denied saying Israel did not have a right to exist. “Israel does not have the right to continue to exist as a colonising, violent, apartheid racist state,” he said.

He denied saying Jews should “go back where they came from”.

“I said ... those who cannot accept equal rights for everyone, freedom of movement and equal access to resources can go back to their countries,” he said.

His comments about no peaceful resolution related to his belief that Israeli settlers “will not stop until they acquire all of the land”.

Deputy vice-chancellor Ian Anderson said UTAS “deeply values and will protect freedom of speech for our staff”.

ASIO chief Mike Burgess last week said Australians supporting Hamas, a listed terrorist organisation here, faced prosecution. The law allows advocacy for listed terrorist organisations “where there is no intention to cause harm”.