We must stand with Israel to defeat Hamas or evil will prosper and threaten democracies everywhere

Illustration: Johannes Leak

The indiscriminate cruelty, savagery and barbarism inflicted by Hamas on Israel on October 7 will reverberate through the ages.

This conflict is unlike any other, not Israel’s War of Independence in 1948 or the Yom Kippur War that began in 1973. This is something altogether different and it is vital that Israel be supported in its campaign to destroy Hamas.

Responsibility for this renewed ancient conflict rests solely with Iranian-backed Hamas. Its mission is to terminate the right of Israel – a democratic country that deserves the support of all democracies – to exist. It does not support a two-state solution or territorial settlement. It wants to eliminate the Jewish homeland.

Hamas knew its murderous rampage, claiming 1200 lives, would be met with a fierce response by Israel. It conducted its attacks knowing full well that Israel would act to defend itself. How could Israel not? It is entirely within international law for a country that has been invaded and its citizens slaughtered and taken hostage to respond with force.

As the aerial bombardments and land invasion of Gaza began, Israel repeatedly urged Palestinians to leave their communities. Nobody wants to see innocent civilians, whether Palestinians or Israelis, killed in war. Yet Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields; its members hide in Palestinians’ homes, burrow beneath neighbourhoods and plan terror attacks from hospital basements.

The decision by Israel to allow daily pauses in its military campaign to facilitate humanitarian aid is appropriate. Once-thriving communities of Gaza are now rubble. But calls for a ceasefire will only embolden Hamas. It still holds hundreds of Israeli citizens hostage. Hamas has expressed no desire to end its campaign against Israel. Indeed, its leaders have said they will continue pogroms.

This is why Israel faces its darkest hour. This is unlike anything since the Holocaust. The risk is that the Israel-Hamas conflict will spark a wider regional war or even a global war that draws in the US and Russia. These thoughts are running through the minds of Jewish and Arab people around the world.

Many Palestinians, of course, do not support the Hamas terrorist organisation. They too want a state of their own.

Thousands gather for the Pro Palestinian Rally, King George Square, Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

The 1947 UN Partition Plan provided for both Jewish and Arab states. Hamas, which rules Gaza, does not support a two-state settlement to the conflict. But Israel should reaffirm its support for a future Palestinian state.

It is troubling that these hatreds are given expression around the world, including Australia. We should all be concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism. There is no place for this in Australia, which has allowed people of all faiths, backgrounds and traditions to live in relative harmony with one another.

But pro-Palestinian rallies include pro-Hamas elements. If you scan the placards, you can see images of Adolf Hitler and swastikas and references to Auschwitz. Chants of “Gas the Jews” have gone up. The jihadist flag has been unfurled. Some Arab leaders expressed their sheer joy at the Hamas attacks.

Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns have responded appropriately and emphasised their support for Israel while also expressing concerns over Palestinian deaths and backing the distribution of humanitarian aid. Minns lit up the sails of the Sydney Opera House with the Israeli flag and acknowledged the ineffective NSW police response to the initial pro-Palestinian rally.

However, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has used clumsy language in response to the conflict. Wong supported Israel’s right to defend itself but also called for restraint in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks. This gave the impression that Israel should limit its response to the monstrous crimes committed against its people.

Penny Wong

Last weekend, Wong called for Israel to stop attacking hospitals. Of course, nobody wants to see a hospital with injured people bombed. But Hamas uses hospitals as bases for military planning and therefore they are not protected under international law. Wong also urged Israel and Hamas to take steps towards a ceasefire. But Hamas still holds hundreds of Israelis hostage and will never end its campaign to destroy the Jewish state.

Labor governments, state and federal, must continue to stand by Israel even as some ministers, MPs and party members find it difficult to state unequivocal support. Across the past decade there has been a significant shift within Labor, from the grassroots membership to its parliamentary representatives, to identify more with Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

The dividing line is between a pro-Israeli Labor Right faction in Victoria and the pro-Palestine national Left aligned with the Labor Right in NSW. Changing demographics in Labor-held seats in western Sydney have been the driving factor in the shift among the traditionally moderate Right faction in NSW. Labor MPs have felt the dramatic change in sentiment in their electorates and responded accordingly.

Julia Gillard

A campaign to support recognition of a Palestinian state without qualification, and not necessarily with the support of Israel, was adopted by party conferences. In 2012, Julia Gillard wanted Australia to vote against Palestine becoming a non-member state observer at the UN but was forced to back down and abstain from that vote after a revolt in cabinet and caucus.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is another factor. He leads a right-wing populist coalition government. His judicial reforms would weaken democracy. His expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories has been condemned as illegal by the UN Security Council, the EU and Britain. He has shown no interest in reviving a peace process. But this is about Israel and the Jewish people.

For those of us living far away from this unfolding tragedy, it is essential that we support Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself against future attacks by Hamas while also recognising the right of Palestinians to live safely and securely in a state of their own. But if those who commit acts of terror are not held accountable, then evil will prosper and threaten democracy everywhere.