ISTANBUL

An Australian federal judge ruled that ABC News surrendered to the "pro-Israeli lobby," ordering the public broadcaster to pay an additional AU $150,000 (approximately $98,000) on top of the AU $70,000 already paid to Antoinette Lattouf for firing her over a social media post about the Gaza war.

"Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) conduct in surrendering to the demands of the pro-Israel lobbyists and taking Ms. Lattouf off air ignored the equally important statutory obligation of maintaining its independence and integrity," Justice Daryl Rangiah said in a judgment released on Wednesday.

The penalty was imposed for violating the Fair Work Act, according to the ABC.

"The ABC let down the Australian public badly when it abjectly surrendered the rights of its employee Ms. Lattouf to appease a lobby group," said Rangiah.

Lattouf, a Lebanese-Australian journalist, was removed from the air during a five-day radio presenting contract on Sydney radio in December 2023 for reasons including her political opinions.

She had reposted a Human Rights Watch article on Instagram, which detailed how Israeli authorities in Gaza used starvation as a weapon of war. ABC claimed her post violated its editorial policies.

Lattouf won her case against ABC in June, and a court ruled that she was unfairly fired in December 2023.

Antoinette Lattouf stated on Wednesday on the US social media company X that ABC "spent in excess of $2 million on legal fees" during the court proceedings.

"The real cost to Aunty (nickname for the ABC) is immeasurable," she added.

ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks, who was not in the role when the incident occurred, said the broadcaster would "reflect on the court’s findings."

"It was not handled in line with our values and expectations and Ms. Lattouf, our staff and the public were let down. We take the matter seriously and have reflected on the lessons learned and their implications. We must be better," Marks said.

The Media Entertainment Arts Alliance of Australia said in a statement that there has been "a rise in threats, harassment, and intimidation of journalists who report and comment on Gaza" after October 7.

Journalists are facing "censorship on Australian stages and screens," it said.