A heartfelt plea after 85 years

On the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, 102 Australian Holocaust survivors, mainly in their 80s and 90s, have raised their voices against the anti-Semitism that has flared since the terrorist attack on Israel a month ago. The last witnesses to the unspeakable horrors of the Nazi regime never thought they would see a re-enactment of the senseless, virulent hatred of Jews they faced in Europe. “The actions of Hamas are so familiar, so barbaric, yet instead of condemning this the response across the globe is a shameful spike in anti-Semitism,’’ they point out. “We cannot allow history to repeat itself … We ask you to stand with us.’’

In tackling anti-Semitism in Australia, security services, police and governments must deal with the hate preachers running organisations such as the Al Madina Dawah Centre in Southwest Sydney. The Australian’s analysis of dozens of sermons uploaded by the centre reveals a track record of inflammatory, violent comments. It is run by Muslim cleric Wissam Haddad, an extremist who preaches “kill Jews’’, has supported Islamic State and al-Qa’ida, and has boasted of his friendship with notorious terrorists Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar. The “sword is the only way” to deal with people who ­“reject Allah”, Haddad preached a year ago. Given the tyranny of radical Islam, his irrational claim that he is entitled to speak out because “last time I checked, we were in Australia, not North Korea” is beyond absurd.

Others, who should know better, need to take a more considered approach to the Hamas-Israel war. That includes more than 300 Australian lawyers who have signed a letter to Anthony Albanese and other government leaders calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank. They have also urged government to halt defence exports to Israel and secure the immediate return of hostages. Australian Centre for International Justice principal lawyer Rawan Arraf said Australia was failing in its international obligations and, as a result, “the people of Gaza are paying a terrible price”.

Moral responsibility for the acute suffering of Palestinians, however, rests with Hamas. And the Gaza Strip’s only chance of peace rests with Israel’s destruction of the terrorist organisation, a goal on which Israel is closing in. IDF soldiers are fighting in the heart of Gaza City for the first time since Israel withdrew from the territory in 2005. They killed Muhsin Abu, a top figure in Hamas’s weapons production in an overnight air strike. And they have Yahya Sinwar, 61, the mastermind behind the October 7 massacre, surrounded. He is believed to be hiding in Hamas’s tunnel network under one of Gaza’s main hospitals. There, Israel faces a challenge to cause as few civilian casualties as possible as it seeks out the terrorists. Hamas has blocked many Palestinians from leaving, using them as human shields.