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Labor politicians in Australia are contributing to antisemitism.

It seems clear that we not only refuse to learn the lessons from history, but we do not mind repeating some of its worst moments. While most decent people never want to see another Holocaust occur again, some others seem to think it is no big deal, really.

The diabolical excuses made for what occurred on October 7, 2023, are an obvious example of this. Radical leftists and rabid antisemites have offered all sorts of justifications for what took place back then. And even worse, too many people who claim to be conservatives and Christians have joined in. Most have not once unequivocally condemned the massacre, nor admitted that Israel has every right to exist and defend itself.

So, in many cities throughout the West, we have had ongoing anti-Israel demonstrations and rallies, and plenty of ugly hatred has poured forth from these events. Add two more despicable elements to this, and you will have a real recipe for disaster.

Weak Leaders and Dangerous Elements

One is the wide-open immigration policies of so many Western countries, which are being flooded by many who not only care nothing about the West and its values, but are committed Israel-haters. The second is leadership in these nations, which actually sides with those that detest Israel, and who are doing nothing to ease the tensions.

All that has led directly to the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue, which I wrote about yesterday.

In it, I spoke about how Australian Labor Party politicians and leaders are actually contributing to these problems. Be it Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, both have done nothing to curtail the rising tide of hate and hostility against Australian Jews and the nation of Israel.

When they are allowed to shout “Gas the Jews” and push the “From the ocean to the sea” narrative with impunity, then our useless leaders are simply pouring fuel on the fire. Albo, especially, is far more concerned with hanging onto votes from the Muslims of western Sydney than he is about protecting and defending the Jewish population.

Thankfully, some leaders have been speaking out about all this. Former Liberal Party treasurer Josh Frydenberg, for example, has said some strong words about all these events, condemning Albanese for not doing enough for the Jewish community:

In an open letter in the Herald Sun on Saturday, Mr Frydenberg slammed the attack as an “absolute outrage” and questioned what it would take for the Prime Minister to crack down on such horrendous acts. Later appearing at a press conference, Mr Frydenberg was asked what Mr Albanese should do moving forward.

The former treasurer said: “The first thing the Prime Minister needs to do is he and his government need to declare yesterday’s attack at the Adass Israel Synagogue a terrorist event. “There was a firebombing at a place of worship with people inside who have been injured as a result and the legislation is very clear,” he said.

“When it comes to racially, politically or religiously motivated violence such as this attack- it is a terrorist attack and it needs to be declared as such.” The former treasurer added Mr Albanese should set up a national security taskforce to focus on stopping antisemitism by bringing together federal and state police bodies. “This is not about Islamophobia, it’s about antisemitism happening everyday on our street,” he said.

Police are searching for three offenders believed to have been involved as officers investigate to determine how it was started. In the wake of the incident the Prime Minister’s response to the matter of antisemitism has come under extreme scrutiny, with Mr Frydenberg now joining the growing chorus of condemnation of Labor’s apparent inaction.

“Prime Minister what will it take for the penny to drop? For you and your ministers to step up not step back from the challenges we face?”, Mr Frydenberg said in his open letter in the Herald Sun. He said this required “leading from the front”, as opposed to “merely mouthing worthless words” which lead to inaction.“Your government’s inaction has emboldened those that hate and those that harm.’’

Mr Frydenberg referred to other recent incidents, including one on Wednesday where at least 70 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Sydney’s Great Synagogue calling for sanctions against Israel, while members of the Jewish community were locked inside.

“On a daily basis Jewish Australians are intimidated and harassed, in our streets, on our campuses and in their workplaces.” Mr Frydenberg stressed his focus was not on Israel, but Australia and becoming the country “we want to be and not what we’ve become”.

“Once social cohesion has broken down it is only a matter of time before another community is next. This is why the attack on Adass was not an attack on one it was an attack on all.”

International condemnation has also been heard, including from the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. He said this about Australia’s weak leadership:

On Friday, Israel time, Netanyahu posted a statement on X, condemning the incident while also taking aim at the Labor government. “The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism. I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future,” Netanyahu said.

“Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the UN resolution calling on Israel “to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible”, and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country. “Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism.”

The statement shared on Netanyahu’s social media doubles down on his criticism of the Albanese government’s change of position on Israel in the UN, after a statement from his office labelled Australia’s “flip-flop” as “disappointing”. Foreign Minister Penny Wong supported a UN resolution recognising “permanent sovereignty” of Palestinians in November in a surprise move after Australia’s top UN diplomats recommended the government abstain from the resolution.

Earlier this week, the Albanese government again backed a UN motion in favour of Palestine, supporting an “irreversible pathway” to Palestinian statehood while also calling for Israel to withdraw its “unlawful presence” from the West Bank, Gaza and eastern Jerusalem.

Netanyahu’s comments on Australia’s new approach to Israel suggested the bipartisanship between the two countries had significantly weakened as a result. “Awarding anti-Semitism and terrorism with a state in the heart of the Jewish ancient homeland and cradle of civilisation will invite more terrorism and more anti-Semitic riots at campuses and city centres, including in Australia,” the statement said.

“To the contrary, they have embraced those atrocities that ­included the rape, murder and ­beheading of Jews. It’s a shame that the current Australian government wants to award these savages with a state. “Thankfully, our key allies support Israel as we strive for true peace and security.”

Liberal Senator for NSW Dave Sharma began a piece in the Australian yesterday with these words:

The Albanese Labor government is engaged in a sustained campaign to actively downgrade and harm Australia’s relationship with Israel. This campaign is being driven by local domestic political calculations. It is reckless regarding Australia’s national interests. It is fanning the flames of anti-Semitism in Australia. And it does nothing whatsoever to advance the cause of a durable peace in the Middle East.

He concludes:

The historical lesson is clear. Peace is possible only if Israel’s legitimate security concerns are addressed. Meanwhile, the Labor government’s continued targeting of Israel in its rhetoric, portraying it as the main culprit for all the troubles that afflict the Middle East, has created the permissive environment in which rank anti-Semitism has flourished. This has now reached a new nadir with the firestorming of a synagogue in Melbourne. Australia’s Jewish community has never felt less safe in their own country.

Even some Labor Party members weighed into this. Former Labor MP Michael Danby tore into the shallow response of Albanese. He called it “empty rhetoric” and “hot air”. He said, “A real Labor leader … would have been standing on the steps.” Watch his passionate response in this five-minute interview.

And in Victoria, where Allan came for what appeared to be nothing more than a photo-op, Jewish activists laid into her and her visit. Avi Yemini of Rebel News was there to cover her brief visit. He asked her some pointed questions about why nothing had been done by her and her government over the past 14 months to actually protect Jews and stand against the growing tsunami of antisemitism.

She simply waffled and stayed glued to her script. When another Jewish activist got stuck into her, she abruptly turned around and left. See the whole encounter with her in this clip.

How much worse things get in Australia, in large measure, depends on the Labor leaders running the nation and most states. Ugly antisemitism seems doomed to simply worsen if they remain in power. All the more reason to vote them out of office as soon as possible.

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Republished with thanks to CultureWatch. Image courtesy of Adobe.