Labor weakness on anti-Semitism has bred division

The Weekend Australian published two significant articles on the scourge of contemporary anti-Semitism in Australia. Josh Frydenberg stated “the silent majority are starting to find their voice”, meaning that previously shocked Australians are no longer intimidated by the propagandised rhetoric, violence and divisive hatreds, and are retaliating en masse (“Unchecked anti-Semitism an election issue, PM”, 11/1). However, we see the continued ineptitude and avoidance of responsibility by the Albanese government, writ large and becoming worse. Similarly, Gemma Tognini denounces the reticence and inability of Albanese and Wong to protect the Australian public in general, and the Jewish communities in particular, with the words “their actions are marked by appeasement and weakness” (“Remember Lindt? Israelis must cope with attacks daily”, 11/1). In this chaotic world where we have mighty nations hellbent on the destruction of Western values and freedoms, we must pay heed to these warnings and “gird our collective loins” against foreign and local enemies. Power and strength are respected by every nation. Unfortunately, our ineffective Labor leadership has allowed Australia to become the proverbial basket case of liberal democracies. As Tognini says, “the world knows we cave in to bullies”.

Aviva Rothschild, Caulfield North, Vic

Josh Frydenberg’s assertion that “social cohesion is on the ballot paper” at this year’s federal election is a cry from the heart. Australia has an enviable reputation for harmony among its potpourri of ethnic communities – until now. The failure of the Labor government to unconditionally condemn anti-Semitism in the wake of the October 7 attack, and its ambivalence toward the ICC’s arrest warrant for PM Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes, has breathed life into racial divisions. It’s evident that the government’s politically inspired effort to walk both sides of the street has it in no-man’s land. The plan to consign Mark Dreyfus to Israel to repair relations is in disarray with the intra-party group, Labor Friends of Palestine, warning “any meeting with war criminals would seriously damage the reputations of Australia and the Attorney-General”. It’s clear that unity in this matter of great importance is beyond the Labor government. As Frydenberg reminds us, the opportunity for a reset to “reclaim what has been lost” beckons later this year.

Kim Keogh, Claremont, WA

For 15 months Albanese and his Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, have finger-wagged about Israel having a right to defend itself, but with the pusillanimous caveat, “how it does so matters”. Wong, in her recent Bob Hawke Lecture, even compared the Middle East’s only liberal, pluralist democracy, Israel, with dictatorships in Russia and China. Please. While on the appalling Adass Synagogue attack, Albanese maintained a tennis-playing schedule, only to visit the site four days later. By contrast, Peter Dutton has provided leadership and moral clarity. Whether it’s been his trip to Israel to pay respect at two sites of the Hamas terrorist attacks – Kibbutz Be’eri and the Nova music festival – or the fact he is the first Australian politician to meet Benjamin Netanyahu since October 7, 2023, or his branding of the ICC’s action as an “abomination”, or the standing ovation he received at the Sydney October 7 memorial service. Dutton has been the hard act that Labor has not followed. The Opposition Leader’s assessment that the upcoming election is “a sliding doors moment for our nation” is spot-on.

Mandy Macmillan, Singleton, NSW

Fifteen months ago the government had an opportunity to quell the curse of anti-Semitism in this country but failed to do so. The adverse consequences are clear from the report of doxxing and hounding of Jewish sculptor Nina Sanadze, and from the report of the anti-Semitic graffiti at the Gertrude Gallery, to say nothing of the vicious vandalism of the Southern Sydney Synagogue at Allawah. The government has failed to extirpate anti-Semitism and its poison continues to permeate our formerly placid community. As Josh Frydenberg asserts, now, as we start a new year and approach the federal election, politicians and public alike have an opportunity to turn a new page and reclaim what has been lost. The choice is ours and will reverberate through the years to come.

Ian Dunlop, Hawks Nest, NSW