Penrith Panthers star Mitch Kenny has openly criticized the Australian Government for its stance on Israel, following his participation in a pro-Palestine rally earlier this year.

The accomplished three-time premiership player was among 90,000 demonstrators who crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge on August 3, advocating for Palestinian rights.

During an appearance on Josh Mansour’s podcast “Undisputed,” Kenny, who attended the rally with fellow premiership winner Izack Tago, discussed his motivations for joining the march when asked by the host.

“We were aiming to hold our government accountable, or at least highlight that a significant portion of the population disapproves of Australia’s involvement in the F-35 fighter jet supply chain,” Kenny explained.

Australia plays a role in the F-35 fighter jet supply chain by participating in the global production of parts, with over 70 Australian companies contributing to the aircraft’s development and maintenance.

Although Australian-made components are part of the global supply chain and some have been sent to Israel, the government asserts that these exported parts are strictly ‘non-lethal.’

Penrith Panthers star Mitch Kenny said the Australian Government was compliant in the genocide of Palestinians

Kenny and fellow Panthers star Izak Tago were at a Pro-Palestine rally in August

The supply of parts to Israel has led to controversy and calls for an arms embargo, with critics questioning the ‘non-lethal’ claim and the government’s lack of transparency on military exports.

In the wake of findings from the UN commission of inquiry that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, Australia’s role in the programme has come under renewed scrutiny.

Kenny told Mansour he’d thought long about the issue.

‘I get that that’s a very complex thing and it’s not easy just to click your fingers and pull out of, but the reality is that our government, as a middle power, is compliant in the genocide,’ he said.

‘I think, if you’ve thought about this thing at all, you’ll come to the same conclusion that we don’t want to be a country that is involved in dropping bombs on innocent men, women and children.’

Aussies online praised Kenny’s stance.

‘My new favourite NRL player, respect Mitch Kenny,’ one person wrote on X.

‘Am I in love with Mitch Kenny now? Yes, yes I am,’ another said.

Kenny is a three-time premiership winner with the Penrith Panthers and says his stance has been censored by certain sections of the media

Kenny also told a story to Mansour about his support for the people of Palestine being censored by a major pay TV network.

‘I don’t mind bringing this up,’ he told Mansour.

‘I was doing a cross live with Fox League from my house not too long ago and I wore a ‘Free Palestine’ shirt and right before I went on air, the guy who was in my house who set it up got a phone call and he didn’t say anything and I saw when the shot aired they cropped my t-shirt out of it.’

‘Are you joking?’ Mansour asked.

‘That was something that probably left a little bit of a poor taste in my mouth and I get it, Fox, and that sort of media conglomerate and where their loyalties lie,’ Kenny told Mansour.

‘It’s something I’m willing to stand on and it’s something I care about.

‘There’s a few social issues that I think, as you get a little bit older, you care less what people think about you and you’re a bit more willing to be authentic.’

More Aussies congratulated Kenny and his brave stance and were not too happy about his thoughts being censored.

‘Did not expect Mitch to be such an open minded and well-spoken man. Loved his response to what FoxNRL did, too. That speaks volumes of his maturity. He’s just made a huge fan in me,’ one person wrote.

‘Massive respect to Mitch Kenny here for speaking out against genocide and speaking up against the media’s attempt to silence criticism. You can tell he’s done the research and speaks with real compassion and clarity,’ another said.

Daily Mail contacted Fox Sports for comment.