Prominent Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah is set to be the main attraction at Australia’s largest writers’ festival following a controversial incident that led to her exclusion from a different literary event, igniting nationwide debate.

The Sydney Writers’ Festival has announced that Abdel-Fattah, a renowned academic, will be a key figure in its 2026 lineup. The festival aims to allow audiences to form their own opinions about her work.

Earlier in 2026, Abdel-Fattah was unexpectedly removed from the Adelaide Writers’ Week roster, which led to a significant backlash. This included a widespread boycott by other participants, the resignation of director Louise Adler as a form of protest, and ultimately, the cancellation of the event.

The decision to drop Abdel-Fattah stemmed from her comments on Israel and Zionism, notably a statement where she argued that Zionists should not expect “cultural safety.”

In response to the uproar, the Adelaide Festival board has since issued an apology and extended an invitation to Abdel-Fattah to participate in the 2027 Writers’ Week.

The Sydney Writers’ Festival’s CEO, Brooke Webb, and artistic director, Ann Mossop, have expressed their support for Abdel-Fattah, emphasizing the importance of writers to the success of any festival.

“A festival like ours, which holds freedom of expression as a core value, is not in the business of cancelling or censoring writers,” the statement read.

“A writers’ festival provides a rare and welcome opportunity for readers and writers to come together for nuanced conversations about complex and sometimes difficult topics … readers can make up their own minds about what they would like to attend.”

In a post on social media announcing her appearance at the festival, Abdel-Fattah said: “In the midst of suffocating repression and racism, celebrate the wins. May we all remain undisciplined.”

The organisers’ decision to include her defied comments by NSW Premier Chris Minns, who had questioned Abdel-Fattah’s inclusion in another festival at Newcastle.

“We respect public figures and members of the community may hold different views … they are entitled to do so,” the Sydney Writers’ Festival statement read.

Abdel-Fattah had defended her comments in the wake of the Adelaide cancellation, denying she had ever said Jewish people are not entitled to cultural safety.

“But political ideologies cannot use cultural safety as a shield from criticism,” she told ABC Radio in January.

“I’m really fed up with the way my words are being deliberately and maliciously and mendaciously mischaracterised to paint me as an antisemite when I have never, ever expressed any antisemitism.”

She has also flagged a defamation case against South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas over comments comparing her to a “terrorist sympathiser”.

Sydney Writers’ Festival will announce its full 2026 program on 10 March. The event will be held in May.

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