Piers Akerman: Labor has sold out Australian values to win Muslim votes
With raging anti-Semitism, and a government determined to assist the enemies of the only democracy in the Middle East, the dove of peace has flown elsewhere this Christmas, writes Piers Akerman.
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
This is the season when most of us wish for peace on Earth and goodwill to all
men, but this message isn’t ringing in Canberra.
With a raging degree of anti-Semitism not seen in Australia since Hitler’s sympathisers marched through Melbourne in the 1930s, and a government determined to assist the enemies of the only democracy in the Middle East, the dove of peace has flown elsewhere this Christmas.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Cabinet cabal have shown a shocking inability to differentiate between good and evil in supporting two anti-Israel propositions at the UN in recent days.
To cheers from the remnants of the barbaric terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s mouthpiece at the UN, Australia’s ambassador to the UN, James Larsen, a career diplomat, read out a statement to the General Assembly demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, not tied to any release of Israeli hostages, and lacking any requirement that Hamas be removed – while calling for the UN’s highly suspect Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, to be given unhindered access to Gaza.
Larsen’s speech would have been approved – if nor written – by Wong’s office but I wonder whether the ambassador felt sick when delivering a message lauded by terrorists in their ratholes and by their supporters in Australia.
Did he consider resigning rather than forever being identified with this vote? As a former ambassador to Israel, he would have been well aware that Israeli intelligence has been critical to preventing terrorist attacks on Australian civilians and military personnel.
Under Albanese and Wong, Australia’s diplomatic efforts have been directed to protecting terrorist sympathisers in Ramallah and Gaza, and the UN’s designated Palestinian aid organisation, UNRWA, which has been shown to employ dozens of terrorists, some of whom participated in the October 7, 2023, murderous attack on Israeli civilians.
One UNRWA official even held hostages in his apartment before they were rescued in a daring Israeli operation.
Will Israel help us prevent terrorist attacks in future or will it stay schtum?
Not one of the majority UN nations that we voted with has played such an important role in our security as Israel, and certainly North Korea, Russia, China and Iran aren’t in the habit of protecting our back.
Yet the supine Albanese government has hidden behind the amoral facade that we were participating in a consensus vote along with Five Eyes partners the UK, Canada and New Zealand.
Nine nations, including our vital security ally, the US, voted against the UN’s predictable anti-democracy resolutions.
To his credit (whether it was written for him or not), Larsen did say Australia had “reservations” about the wording of the resolutions but voted for them because it was committed to ending the suffering in the Palestinian enclave.
“The current situation in Gaza is catastrophic, the human suffering unbearable,” he said. “Israel must take urgent action to alleviate this humanitarian crisis, in line with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice.”
Where he got it wrong, or Canberra did, was in claiming the ICC’s orders were binding when, in fact, the ICC has no jurisdiction in the dispute and in failing to note that any suffering in Gaza is entirely due to its elected terrorist government’s unprovoked attack on Israeli citizens.
Australia also failed to demand the return of the remaining hostages held by the terrorists when it supported an unconditional ceasefire.
Voters will remember this as a sell-out of Australian values to win the votes of Muslims living in key Labor electorates. Add this issue to the cost-of-living crisis, skyrocketing electricity bills, the lunatic policy of unreliable wind and solar energy, and a Labor loss looms at the election.
That would make for a happy New Year, I’ll be back in January.
Do you have a story for The Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email tips@dailytelegraph.com.au
More Coverage
What the heck is JOMO? The new trend you’ll want to miss
Sometimes it’s nice to have the luxury of a big fat no, writes Robyn Ingerson.
Albo learns the wrong lesson from Kamala’s defeat
In the wake of Donald Trump’s return to power, Anthony Albanese offered a surprising criticism of Kamala Harris. Tom Minear argues he misunderstood her biggest mistake.