Support for Israel given the puck

Ice hockey is not considered a first-tier sport in Australia, and Nigeria is hardly a bucket-list travel destination for most retirees, but both have an important message about what we are becoming as a nation. Ice Hockey Australia’s decision to abandon world championship matches in Melbourne over fears the involvement of a team from Israel would pose an unacceptable safety risk is wrong for so many reasons. That Nigeria can cite anti-Semitism as a reason to warn its citizens not to travel to Australia is proof of how damaging our political response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror atrocities in Israel has been.

The Albanese government’s failure to stand firm with Israel – our long-term ally and the only democracy in the Middle East – and its apparent powerlessness to stop outrageous displays of anti-Semitic behaviour on our streets and university campuses are being widely watched around the world. Nigeria, a major Commonwealth country that is itself riven by crime, corruption, sectarianism and Islamist terrorism, has cited incidents of “verbal abuse, harassment and discrimination targeting foreigners”, and specifically “a recent surge in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate crimes”, as reasons to stay away from Australia.

Sure, there is an element of tit-for-tat in the decision, given Australia advises citizens not to travel to Nigeria. But the decision to withdraw from hosting a global ice hockey competition exposes the weakness in our institutions that allows malevolent anti-Semitic forces to prosper because it is considered just too difficult to do the right thing.

Jewish groups are right to call out the decision as a “dreadful” and “dangerous” capitulation. Anthony Albanese has sought to say the right thing but the more he protests without action the more powerless he appears to be. Calling the ice hockey withdrawal an “unfortunate decision” hardly cuts the mustard. The Prime Minister further downplayed the issue as involving a sport not many Australians knew much about. His comment – that we are still hosting cricket matches (in which there is no Jewish aspect) – is an unworthy distraction.

Likewise, Victoria Police was quick to put responsibility for the decision to withdraw on the shoulders of Ice Hockey Australia. But correspondence between IHA and police shows what IHA was up against. Police had warned IHA of a “high chance of an incident” and “expressed their concerns about the safety and security of the event”. Following an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne, and after further talks with police, it was decided the security and safety risks were too great to continue. This represents a comprehensive failure on the part of police and the political class to show leadership and do their jobs. True support for the Jewish community, or any minority group, involves showing resolve, not cowardice.

Mr Albanese’s decision to send Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to Israel to calm relations is not the answer. The fact Mr Albanese said Mr Dreyfus, not himself or Foreign Minister Penny Wong, was the “appropriate person” to make the visit says everything you need to know about the current state of Australia/Israel relations. Opposition MP Julian Leeser is right to dismiss the visit as a “pre-election gimmick” and an “impediment to addressing anti-Semitism in this country”.

The reception Mr Dreyfus can expect from top Israeli officials, or lack thereof, will likely make this clear.