The AFR View
Posturing on Israel pandering to ugly racism
Labor continues to walk both sides of the street on the Gaza war, Palestinian statehood, and Israel’s right of self-defence. The net result of the juggling act has been to undermine attempts to condemn antisemitism unequivocally.
The intolerable rise of antisemitism in Australia has dangerously escalated. On Wednesday, pro-Palestinian street protesters forced the police to lock down Jewish members of the community inside the Great Synagogue in Sydney. Then on early Friday morning came the horrifying arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne built by Holocaust survivors who found refuge in Australia after World War II.
According to an annual report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, 2062 antisemitic incidents occurred in Australia in the 12 months following Hamas’ barbaric October 7 terrorist attack on Israel that murdered 1200 people and took 250 hostages. That represents a 316 per cent increase in intimidating, threatening and violent behaviour directed at Jews.
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