Palestinian author’s visa cancelled after post celebrating Hamas attack emerges

The Department of Home Affairs has cancelled a visa it had issued to a Palestinian woman who allegedly celebrated Hamas’ October 7 massacre, reversing course just days after Immigration Minister Tony Burke vowed to block potentially divisive visitors.

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, hours after social media posts from an account in Mona Zahed’s name emerged that celebrated Hamas’ massacre of about 1200 Israelis almost two years ago, a spokesman for Burke said her visa had been revoked.

“The department has advised the office that the visa was cancelled today - the reasons have been communicated directly to the applicant,” the spokesman said.

Zahed’s supporters had said she had been granted a visa to come to Australia after raising money for her family’s costs.

Melbourne artist and pro-Palestinian activist Matt Chun had written in an online newsletter on July 21 that his partner had been working with human rights lawyers to secure passage for Zahed and her family to Australia from Gaza.

“Finally, against all odds, [my partner] Tess has visas approved,” Chun said.

News Corp published a screenshot on Friday of a Facebook post from the Palestinian woman’s page, dated October 8, 2023, which read: “praise be to Allah who has kept us alive to see this day” alongside a photo of Israeli festival-goers fleeing Hamas’ terrorist massacres the day before.

The post also included a photo of Palestinians being expelled from their land during what they call the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, in 1948, that surrounded the creation of the modern state of Israel.

Zahed, who is not in Australia, is the author of Tabkha: Recipes From Under the Rubble, a cookbook of Palestinian recipes, which Chun said Zahed wrote on her phone from a displaced persons’ tent.

When Zahed’s social media posts emerged, Burke said his office was taking the issue seriously and had put questions to the department “as soon as the minister’s office became aware”.

“The government is serious in its view about not importing hatred, and we set a higher bar when the purpose of someone’s visit is a speaking tour,” the spokesman said.

Zahed’s supporters had been promoting the book and fundraising on social media to fund the evacuation of her family from Gaza, which is under siege by Israel and suffering from shortages of food. The Israeli security cabinet approved a plan on Friday to take over what remains of Gaza City.

Opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said Zahed’s visa was “yet another immigration failure by the Albanese Labor government” in comments made before the entry pass was cancelled.

Coalition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash had also earlier called for Burke’s resignation if Zahed was not immediately blocked from entering Australia.

“I also want an investigation into the department as to how such a visa could in the first place be granted. If you support the slaughter by Hamas of innocent mums, dads and children, you have no place in Australia,” Cash said.

Burke vowed on Tuesday to continue to block visas at unprecedented rates for people spreading hate speech.

“I really don’t care about receiving criticisms on freedom of speech. Like, do not care,” Burke said.

“People who live here have rights to freedom of speech within Australia, [but] we get to choose if someone’s coming here with the intention of … inciting discord.”

Zahed and Chun were contacted for comment.

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