PIEN 2025 Forums

Who Owns the Holy Land?

From February to June 2025 we held a series of forums around Australia. Their purpose was to build understanding and create empathy within the broader Australian community for Australian Palestinian Muslims and Christians affected by the conflict in Gaza. 

PIEN partnered with Palestinian Christians in Australia and Friends of Sabeel Australia to hold these forums made possible with a grant from the Federal Government’s Community & Cohesion Support Program, delivered through the Social Policy Group. 

The forums we held in each of the major cities received great feedback and responses.  At each forum we had a Palestinian Christian, a Jewish person and a Palestinian Muslim speak. The conversations were moderated with Q & A segments. Below is a list of panellists and moderators. We thank them for the tremendous contributions to these series of forums. 

Panellists

Ahmed Alabadla: A Palestinian from Gaza, co-founder of Palestine Justice Movement Sydney and creator of Red Inverted Triangle Palestinian podcast. Ahmed was also a Moderator at one of the Forums.

Lana Kalis: daughter of Palestinian refugees from Jerusalem. She is an active member of Palestinian Christians in Australia and Healthcare Workers for Palestine. She helps Gaza refugees resettle in Australia and raises funds to send medical equipment to Gaza hospitals.

Nachshon Amir: former Israeli army combat officer who was raised in a religious nationalist family but has been an active member of Free Palestine Melbourne for the past four years.

Omar Ashour: Palestinian from Gaza. organiser in the Palestinian and the pro-Palestinian communities in Brisbane. Former president of Falesteen Inc, the Palestinian Community in Queensland. 

Peter Slezak: Jewish advocate for a just peace, speaker and author, Honorary Associate Professor at the University of NSW. Key role in recent documentary film, Palestine under Siege.

Reem Borrows: Board Director of Palestine Australia Relief and Action and author of From the River to the Sea: Humanising Freedom. Reem is a Palestinian Christian.

Remah Naji:  Palestinian Muslim, who was born to Palestinian refugees in Jordan. Public speaker and a key organiser at Justice for Palestine Magan-djin. 

Sophia Duckor-Jones: former Zionist Jew, who is now a member of the Jewish Council of Australia.

Suzan Wahhab: President of Palestinian Christians in Australia, who was raised in Ramallah following the expulsion of her family from Jaffa and Ramallah in 1948.

Yousef al-Reemawi: Palestinian musician and scholar. Founder of the Averroes Centre of Arab Culture and the Palestine Remembered program on Radio 3CR.

Moderators

Christa Christaki: Chairperson of the Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA). 

Michael Shaik: PIEN Project Officer and founding member of Free Palestine Melbourne. 

Ros Harper: hails from the Riverina. Previous humanitarian aid worker in Gaza, and PIEN Secretary. 

Rouba Rayan: Human rights lawyer with family in Gaza who are currently experiencing the genocide.