What is the Australian Friends of Palestine Association?
The Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA) is a grassroots, member-based organisation campaigning for justice, freedom, and self-determination for the Palestinian people in their homeland.
We lobby politicians at the Federal, State, and Local Council levels, and push for change through direct action, demonstrations, and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns. We also connect Australians to the Palestinian cause through a diverse range of events and raise funds for urgent aid projects in Palestine.Through this work, we facilitate and mobilise the Palestine solidarity movement in Australia, helping individuals and groups take strategic, coordinated action.
AFOPA also runs the Palestine Centre for Peace, a resource and community hub for the Palestine advocacy in Adelaide. The Palestine Centre for Peace stocks Palestinian-made goods and solidarity merchandise, and is located at 60 Frome Road in the Adelaide CBD.
Our History
The Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA) was established in 2004 to promote justice for the Palestinian people based on international law and United Nations resolutions.
In 2015, with the generous support of our community, we opened the Palestine Centre for Peace in Adelaide. The Centre serves as both a retail space for Palestinian-made goods and solidarity items, and a hub for organising and community events.
Over the past two decades, AFOPA has played a vital role in building the Palestine solidarity movement in South Australia and nationally through advocacy, education, and community organising. AFOPA has been a key coordinator and organiser of demonstrations, campaigns, and public events in solidarity with Palestine.
Today, AFOPA is a leader working alongside the broader Palestine solidarity movement to campaign for the liberation of Palestinian people from occupation, apartheid and genocide.
Our Demands
The Australian Friends of Palestine Association’s mission is clear: justice and liberation for the Palestinian people and an end to Australia’s complicity in Israel’s apartheid regime.
We demand that the Australian Government:
Pressure Israel to commit to a just peace and end its occupation, genocide, and apartheid, with Palestinian self-determination at its core.
Demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from all Palestinian territories, unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza, and an end to the illegal blockade.
Divest from and impose sanctions on Israel for its genocide, illegal occupation, and apartheid, including ending diplomatic, political, economic, and cultural ties.
Terminate all weapons and weapons-component manufacturing contracts with Israel and its partners, including military research collaboration and intelligence sharing.
Take immediate action against Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and against the expansion of illegal settlements.
Support international legal mechanisms, including the International Court of Justice and universal jurisdiction, to hold Israeli officials accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Our Movement
The Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA) facilitates the South Australian community to take coordinated, strategic action for Palestine and plays a leading role in organising rallies, protests, campaigns, and public actions.
In 2025, AFOPA successfully lobbied for a historic motion to be introduced in the South Australian Parliament, calling for an end to Funds SA investments in companies aligned with apartheid Israel, and for an investigation into South Australia’s weapons supply chain.
AFOPA was one of the first organisations to write to the Australian Federal Police demanding that Israeli President Isaac Herzog be investigated during his 2026 visit to Australia, and launched a successful nationwide visibility campaign.
Our BDS Street Actions group has held weekly public demonstrations promoting the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign for over fifteen years, providing a regular public presence in the Adelaide CBD.
AFOPA also hosts four major community events each year:
The Edward Said Memorial Lecture
Run, Ride, Walk for Palestine
The AFOPA Gala Dinner
Our Annual Quiz Night Fundraiser
These events bring together activists, supporters, and the broader community to build Palestinian solidarity in South Australia.