St Vincent Hospital: Don't Cave To The Israel Lobby's Pressure!

image of St Vincent Hospital: Don't Cave To The Israel Lobby's Pressure!

The Israel Lobby is pressuring St Vincent hospital to punish Professor Peter Macdonald for speculatively pointing out the Israeli foreign influence in local and foreign Australian policy.

Send a letter of support to the leadership team at St Vincent’s Hospital & Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, in support of Professor Peter Macdonald - Say 'NO' to the bullying of the pro-Israel Lobby!

The Israel Lobby is pressuring St Vincent hospital to punish Professor Peter Macdonald for speculatively pointing out the Israeli foreign influence in local and foreign Australian policy.

Send a letter of support to the leadership team at St Vincent’s Hospital & Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, in support of Professor Peter Macdonald - Say 'NO' to the bullying of the pro-Israel Lobby!

Letter to St Vincent Hospital: Support Professor Peter Macdonald

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Please send this urgent email to St Vincent Hospital management in support of Professor Peter Macdonald

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Hi,

I write to you regarding the recent smearing campaign by certain media outlets targeting Professor Peter Macdonald for remarks he made at a public forum on August 30, 2025.

First and foremost, Professor Macdonald participated in this event as a private citizen, exercising his right to ask questions and engage in public debate on matters of national and international importance. He did so outside of any professional or institutional context.

Moreover, professor Macdonald voiced cynicism about the Australian Government and ASIO’s claims that Iran was behind some of the antisemitic incidents that occurred on Australian soils over the past few months — a sentiment shared by many in the community. This is not fringe thinking that warrants punishment; it is healthy democratic scepticism that strikes at the heart of freedom of speech that our society is founded upon. Citizens have every right, even a duty, to question intelligence agencies and Government policies, especially when their claims shape public policy.

To conflate scepticism about ASIO and criticism of foreign government interference in our local Australian affairs with hostility toward Jewish Australians is both illogical and irresponsible.

Criticising or doubting the claims of intelligence services is not, and never has been, a form of racism; it is an attempt to hold powerful institutions to account and to pursue transparency and accountability — exactly what a democratic society should protect.

Furthermore, pointing out the obvious influence of the Israel lobby on Australian politics has absolutely nothing to do with racism against any group of people. Criticising the interference of a foreign country in Australian local matters, which is incidentally very clear from the vicious smearing campaign waged against Professor Macdonald demanding his dismissal from St Vincent hospital as he rightly points out this influence, is a legitimate form of exercising our freedom of expression.

Australia has a long and proud tradition of protecting political speech, especially in relation to matters of global importance, such as the ongoing Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Public sentiment has shifted dramatically in the wake of Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, with increasing numbers of people questioning not only the conduct of Israel but the narratives presented by our government and intelligence agencies.

In this context, it is incumbent upon Australia’s institutions — including hospitals and research institutes — not to succumb to pressure aimed at silencing legitimate political conversations and debates using cheap accusations of antisemitism where none exists. It is vital to distinguish between criticism of Israeli government policies and antisemitism. The former is a necessary part of democratic discourse; the latter is a scourge that must be opposed unequivocally.

St Vincent hospital must recognise the inevitable risks of succumbing to the pro-Israel lobby’s pressure: Across Australia, cultural and public institutions that have done so have faced swift and damaging backlash. The ABC is facing heavy fines over its unfair dismissal of journalist Antoinette Lattouf; Khaled Sabsabi was reinstated to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale after a national outcry over his treatment by Creative Australia; the Bendigo Writers Festival was effectively gutted when authors withdrew en masse over censorship concerns all caused by attempts to influence the decision making process by the pro-Israel Lobby.

These examples show clearly that attempts to silence or punish pro-Palestinian voices are increasingly seen as unjust, politically motivated, and reputationally disastrous.

Therefore, dismissing Professor Macdonald or taking any other disciplinary action against him will be interpreted as caving to the Israel lobby’s demands and will have an incredibly negative impact on the reputation of your institutions and will trigger wider outrage and mobilisation in the community. It will lead the Australian public to question the integrity and trustworthiness of the institution and view it in a bad light.

For health institutions, the moral stakes couldn’t be higher.

As a matter of fact, Israel has decimated Gaza’s health sector — bombing hospitals, killing doctors, starving patients — leaving a population with no access to basic care. In such a moment, Australian health institutions should be standing in solidarity with their colleagues in Gaza, not punishing one of their own for speaking out against the perpetrators of Genocide.

Professor Macdonald is one of Australia’s most respected cardiologists, with a record of life-saving innovation and leadership. His employers should stand by him as a valued professional who has made extraordinary contributions to medicine and who has a right to participate in public discourse.

I am deeply concerned that a coordinated lobbying effort on behalf of the pro-Israel lobby is attempting to turn a good-faith, if controversial, question into grounds for professional punishment. Such a precedent would chill academic inquiry, stifle political debate, and damage public trust in our institutions’ independence.

I urge St Vincent’s Hospital and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute to:

- Affirm your commitment to free speech and academic freedom, including for staff who express personal views in a private capacity.

- Resist external pressure to discipline Professor Macdonald for engaging in protected political expression.

- Ensure that institutional decisions remain free from political influence and are based solely on conduct relevant to professional and clinical responsibilities.

- Stand on the right side of history and support the humanitarian calls to end the genocide in Gaza and condemn the ongoing destruction of its healthcare system.

In a democracy, robust debate must not be punished. 
I stand with Peter and you should too.

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