Vigilance needed to stop the evil spread of terror

As the Middle East conflict escalates with Iran-back terrorists raising the stakes in Lebanon and Yemen, many who have been eager to criticise Israel for its actions in the Palestinian territories must take a reality check. Jumping aboard fashionable causes is to be expected of the impressionable young. But community leaders must be more careful how they choose their bedfellows. This is particularly so given the well-organised campaign being waged to spread anti-Semitic violence at home and abroad.

The death of Australian Ali Bazzi in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on Thursday is a reminder that not everything is as it first appears. Bazzi was hailed by terrorist group Hezbollah as a combatant and martyr. Nonetheless, his death has stirred passions in Australia, with intelligence agencies ramping up their efforts to prevent local violent attacks inspired by the Middle East conflict. Security services are warning Australians not to join the conflict. Together with other agencies around the world, they are on heightened alert for potential acts of domestic terror.

We report on Saturday the extraordinary lengths to which anti-Semitic groups are going to radicalise the pro-Palestinian protests. Exposure of the network has alarmed Jewish leaders, who say Australia is witnessing a 20-year evolution in Palestinian campaigning. They say the anti-Semitic forces have gone beyond the radical fringe and university campuses, and now include the Australian Greens and sizeable trade unions. The tactics being adopted mirror those used by environmental and climate change activists to attract mainstream attention.

A national network of anti-Israel groups is urging people to consider sabotage and vandalism and to evade police by using encrypted communications and special codes. Dozens of pro-Palestinian groups, ranging from well-organised criminals who vandalise property linked to Israel and unionists trying to blockade ships down to passive groups conducting knitting sit-ins, have emerged during the Israel-Palestinian conflict. As John Ferguson reports on Saturday, there are established links between union activists and a radical anti-Israel group targeting Israeli shipping company Zim. Members of the Australian Services Union, the CFMEU and senator Lidia Thorpe have backed the Block the Dock movement behind port protests in Melbourne. Trade Unionists for Palestine social media contains cases of overt anti-Semitism, including claims that an Australian Jewish billionaire was a terrorist and that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians.

The tactics being used give the lie to claims that community protest is based solely on concerns for the plight of ordinary Palestinians and not the rank anti-Semitism driving it. The situation is likely to get worse as conflict in the Middle East spreads. Hezbollah has launched scores of missiles across Israel’s northern border in recent days. It is part of a series of attacks against Israeli and American targets on seven fronts across the Middle East by Iranian-backed militias. On Boxing Day Israel suffered the largest daily rocket barrage from Lebanon since the war against Hamas began on October 7. The same day US forces destroyed drones and missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels based in Yemen.

As events continue to unfold, there is no room for prevarication on the part of the Australian government. It must leave no doubt that Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist groups that are doing Iran’s bidding to the detriment of Israel and democracies everywhere. Anti-Semitism must be stamped out wherever it raises its ugly head.