Malaysian PM Mahathir against Israel embassy move because of hatred of Jews, Josh Frydenberg alleges

Scott Morrison defends Josh Frydenberg for raising the Malaysian PM’s anti-Semitic past over Australia’s Israeli embassy.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Malaysian PM “had form” when it came to a hatred of Jewish people. Picture Kym Smith

Josh Frydenberg has attacked Mahathir Mohamad for making anti-Semitic remarks and for describing Jews as “hook nosed” in response to a warning from Malaysian Prime Minister that moving Australia’s embassy to Jerusalem could encourage terrorism.

“Dr Mahathir does have form, as you know, he’s made a number of derogatory comments in the past about Jews being hook nosed, he has questioned the number of people that have been killed in the Holocaust and he also saw the banning of Schindler’s List — the movie about the saviour of millions of people by righteous gentiles through that horrible period in world history,” Mr Frydenberg told the ABC.

“Australia will make its own decisions based on its national interest.”

The Prime Minister, speaking in Darwin today, said Dr Mahathir brought up concerns about the possible embassy move in a “courteous” way when the two met at the ASEAN Summit in Singapore.

Scott Morrison did not criticise Mr Frydenberg for raising Dr Mahathir’s anti-Semitic comments and said the Treasurer was “filling in” the background on the Malaysian leader’s past.

“I think what Josh said today was filling in the history of his record on various issues over time. I think those issues are well known,” Mr Morrison said.

“His contribution to the public record on those topics are well known. They go back a long way through many, many Prime Ministers, going back to Paul Keating, as we remember. So Australia decides foreign policy in Australia.”

Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr has said the government’s position on the Jerusalem embassy represented a “success” for the Israel lobby and criticised Mr Frydenberg for “assailing” a leader of a country otherwise friendly to Australia.

“I can’t believe Josh Frydenberg has taken it on himself to attack [the] Malaysian PM. Federal Treasurers don’t assail leaders of friendly countries. What got into him?” Mr Carr tweeted.

“Australia has rewarded a nationalist Israel spreading settlements, all illegal under international law … And we blow our influence with Malaysia and Indonesia. The Israel lobby must be flushed with success!”

Can't believe @JoshFrydenberg has taken it on himself to attack Malaysian PM.Fed Treasurers don’t assail leaders of friendly countries.What got into him?He also defended joining Guatemala & Trump in shifting embassy. How on earth is this in AU national interest?How on earth?(2/4)

— Bob Carr (@bobjcarr) November 15, 2018

Australia has rewarded a nationalist Israel spreading settlements, all illegal under international law. Postured ourselves after US as most pro-Israel nation in the world. And we blow our influence with Malaysia and Indonesia. The Israel lobby must be flushed with success! (3/4)

— Bob Carr (@bobjcarr) November 15, 2018

Mr Frydenberg hit back and said Mr Carr should make clear whether he agrees with Dr Mahathir’s anti-Semitic comments.

“Bob Carr is the least well regarded Foreign Minister in Australia’s history. Bob Carr is better known for his steel cut oats and his first class pyjamas and flying around the world picking up anecdotes for his own memoirs than for anything he did as foreign minister,” the Treasurer said.

“He’s a forgettable foreign minister, Bob Carr, who comes to the role with his own prejudices. It’s up to Bob Carr — does he agree with Dr Mahathir’s comments?

“Does he agree with Dr Mahathir that less than six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust?”

“Does he agree with Dr Mahathir that Jews are hook nosed people? Does he agree with Dr Mahathir that Schindler’s List shouldn’t have been shown in Malaysia?”

Conservative Liberal MP Andrew Hastie said Mr Frydenberg was defending an Australian ally against anti-antisemitism.

“Mr Carr responded by essentially saying Josh cares too much. That’s absurd. Our foreign policy should not be dictated by someone who questions the horror of the Holocaust,” Mr Hastie told The Australian referring to the Malaysian Prime Minister. .

“We will decide what’s in Australia’s best interest. Supporting the sovereignty of like-minded, free democracies should be at the top of our list.”

Carr: I don’t agree with Mahathir

Mr Carr said he was not arguing Indonesia or Malaysia should determine Australian foreign policy.

The former Labor foreign minister said he did not agree with Dr Mahathir’s comments about Jewish people.

“I don’t understand how one can be inferred from the other,” Mr Carr told The Australian.

“I’ve never said anything like that. I don’t back his comments, I never have.”

Mr Carr said Mr Frydenberg has undercut Foreign Minister Marise Payne in making the remarks and made a “colossal blunder”.

“Why is the federal Treasurer of Australia at this moment intervening in foreign policy to inflame and enlarge a problem for this country in our relations with two Asian neighbours?Why did he see fit to allow his passion for Israel to drive him into this space?”

“The Treasurer in a colossal blunder has come out and inflamed and enlarged this issue that makes it harder for his own colleagues.”

Mr Carr said the comments and the embassy review both contradicted “altogether” the aspirations of the last Foreign Policy White Paper which aimed to build better relations with neighbours to balance China’s rise.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, left, meets Scott Morrison during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN in Singapore.

Frydenberg unleashes

The Treasurer also said countries in Australia’s region — an indirect reference to Indonesia — had “double standards” in their criticisms of Israel as the Coalition attempts to push back at growing pressure to back down from their review of the Australian embassy’s location.

“We’re absolutely right to commence this process and call out some of the double standards that have been applied by countries, including in our region, but also more broadly afield against Israel and its history and its values,” Mr Frydenberg told the ABC.

Labor has argued the move to review moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem has made Australia “look stupid” and undermined the Australia free trade deal with Indonesia.

Indonesian Ministers have openly said the signing of the deal is being delayed because of Australia’s embassy review.

Yesterday Dr Mahathir said he warned Mr Morrison moving them embassy could ‘add to the causes of terrorism.

The Coalition has hit back at Labor’s attack, saying Australia did not take cues on foreign policy from foreign governments.

But Mr Frydenberg’s slap down of Dr Mahathir are the strongest comments yet from the government in response to the regional backlash.

Last night Mr Frydenberg launched a pitch for the government to follow through with moving its Israeli embassy to ­Jerusalem.

Labor’s Legal Affairs Spokesman Mark Dreyfus said government claims that Labor is calling for foreign countries — such as Indonesia — to have a veto over Australian foreign policy are “false”.

Instead Mr Dreyfus said Australia needed to make “rational foreign policy decisions” and the Coalition should “apologise” for making a mess out of the situation.

The review of the Iran nuclear deal began on October 18 with six staff assigned to the task, led by The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The government, however, declined to reveal details of the review of the location of the embassy in Israel or how many public servants had been assigned to the task.

‘Ugly outpourings’

Peter Wertheim, CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told The Australian that Mr Mahathir’s warning demonstrated a “world view that is a toxic brew of Malay nativism and Islamist supremacism”.

“The Australian government should not give any credence whatsoever to a political leader who has openly declared that he is glad to be labelled antisemitic. His ugly outpourings have extended not only to Jews but also to western civilisation generally.

“Under no circumstances should Australia’s foreign policy be contorted to accommodate the none-too-subtle threats and bigoted rantings of someone whose values are so clearly incompatible with our own.” Mr Wertheim said.

Rateb Jneid, President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, told The Australian he was not surprised by Mr Mahathir’s comments.

‘’It is well known that one of the stated motives by terrorists themselves is the western foreign policy so it is not surprising that the Malaysian Prime Minister would make such a reference himself,” Dr Jneid said.

His organisation wrote to the Prime Minister on Thursday expressing “total and unequivocal opposition” to the idea of relocating the Australian embassy in Israel, and said that such a move would “damage the prospects of peace in Palestine and the establishment of a genuine two state solution”.

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