Israel is protecting free world, ambassador Amir Maimon declares, as Albanese government shifts language on Middle East

Israel’s ambassador to Australia has marked the first anniversary of the terror attack by declaring the Jewish state is fighting ‘for the protection of the free world’, as Labor shifts its language on the ­Middle East conflict.

Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon on Sunday, left, and Anthony Albanese. Picture: John Feder

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Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, has marked the first anniversary of the October 7 terror attack by declaring the Jewish state is fighting “for the protection of the free world”, as the Albanese government shifted its language on the ­Middle East conflict, endorsing ­Israel’s right to launch a retaliatory strike against Iran.

Appearing at a candlelight vigil in Sydney’s east on the eve of the anniversary, Mr Maimon said the conflict in the Middle East was “not just another conflict” but a “battle between good and evil, between life and the forces of destruction”.

“We did not ask for this war. We did not start it. We did not want it, but we are determined to win it, and not just for Israel, but for the protection of the free world,” he said.

Ahead of memorials across the nation to mark one year since the Hamas attack that killed more than 1200 Jews and led to a devastating war, Anthony ­Albanese paid tribute to Israeli victims and hostages while ­declaring Jewish Australians had felt the “cold shadows of anti-Semitism reaching to the present day”. The Prime Minister said it was time for Australia to say “never again” to anti-Semitism.

“We unequivocally condemn all prejudice and hatred. There is no place in Australia for discrimination against people of any faith,” Mr Albanese said.

With Jewish leaders accusing the government of failing to be supportive enough of Israel during the conflict, Peter Dutton is using his anniversary message to say the Coalition “stands with our ally Israel rather than treating her like an adversary” while declaring the “enemies of Israel and the peddlers of Jewish hate will never win”.

Mr Maimon said Australia’s Jewish community was in full support of the “efforts of the Israel Defense Forces to accomplish the military objectives it was set.

“A long and painful year has passed since the enemies of Israel launched their brutal attack on our beloved country,” he said. “What happened that day is forever sealed in our souls, the horror, the anguish, the terror. Israel will not and cannot allow the world the war to end with us in the same place we were on October 6. It marked the beginning of a new, painful chapter for Israel, a chapter defined by grief, resilience and an unbreakable will to survive.”

The commemoration of the October 7 terror attack comes a day after Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles declared Israel had a right to respond with retaliatory action to Iran launching nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards the Jewish state – a statement avoided by Mr Albanese and senior ministers last week.

“Israel clearly has a right to defend itself and that does include a right to respond, but the manner in which it defends itself obviously matters.” Mr Marles told ABC’s Insiders. “Israel was attacked on October 7. Hezbollah had a whole lot of choices, but it chose in the aftermath of ­October 7 to also attack Israel along with Hamas. Iran has been attacking Israel. Israel has a right to defend itself in the face of all of that.”

Mr Marles was not clear on whether Israel should stop striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to allow a safer path for Australians fleeing the region, after Foreign Minister Penny Wong last week warned against the Jewish state’s ground incursion across the Lebanese border to dismantle ­infrastructure of the Iran-backed terror group. Mr Marles would also not say whether Israel’s conduct since October 7 – which has included frequent bombings of Gaza aimed at crippling Hamas – had been within the rules of war.

More than 400 Australians left Lebanon on Saturday on government-assisted flights, with two further charter flights on Sunday scheduled to evacuate another 500 people. About 3600 Australians have registered their interest for assistance in leaving Lebanon.

After Jewish leaders Mark Leibler and Josh Frydenberg accused the government of abandoning Israel, Mr Albanese’s October 7 statement did not reference the government’s support for the Jewish state but declared “every innocent life matters”.

“We unequivocally condemn all prejudice and hatred. There is no place in Australia for discrimination against people of any faith,” Mr Albanese said. “October 7 is a day that carries terrible pain. Over 1200 Jews died – more than on any single day since the Holocaust. We unequivocally condemn Hamas’ actions on that day. Today, we also think of the hostages whose lives remain suspended in the fear and isolation of captivity.”

Mr Dutton said the past 12 months was one of the “most difficult periods for Jewish Australians in our nation’s history”. “We support Australians of Jewish faith – because you are cherished Australian citizens,” Mr Dutton said. “That same spirit will see the Jewish people today – in Israel, in Australia, and around the world – prevail over present ordeals.”

He said Israel had the “right to defend its territory and its people from existential threats”.

“Israel was at the epicentre of Hamas’s evil on October 7 last year, but the shockwaves of the terrorist attack resonated around the world,” he said. “That day of depravity – the greatest loss of Jewish life on a single day since the Holocaust – awoke and exposed an anti-Semitic rot afflicting Western democracies.”

Mr Albanese will on Monday attend a commemorative event in Melbourne with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns and special envoy for social cohesion Peter Khalil. Mr Dutton will speak at a Sydney commemoration that will be attended by Health Minister Mark Butler and Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite. The memorial event at the Israeli embassy in Canberra will be attended by Mr Marles, Senator Wong, Trade Minister Don Farrell and opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham.

Mr Albanese and senior ministers last week repeatedly refused to echo US President Joe Biden and say Israel had a right to respond to Iran’s missile attack, going no further than saying the Jewish state had a right to defend itself. On Friday, the Prime Minister was explicitly asked if Israel had a “right to respond” to Iran’s attack as distinct from a right to defend itself. “Of course, Israel has a right to defend itself,” Mr Albanese said in response. “But as we and the US and others have said, the region needs de-escalation, the cycle of violence cannot continue without end, and that is something that we will continue to work with partners on.”

Mr Marles said the government was never at odds with the US on the conflict, saying the “right to defend” line repeated by ministers last week was inclusive of a response to Iran’s strike.

“No one wants to see this escalate into a broader conflict, into a regional war,” he said.

“A lot of the effort that the United States has been leading with the international community has been to try and avoid a wider conflict, a regional war.

“And the ceasefire which it called for a week or two ago, was about trying to give both sides an opportunity to break that cycle of violence.”

Mr Marles said Mr Dutton tried to “create division” by asserting Australia was at odds with the US.

“It’s an intentional lie and it’s a lie intended to create division within Australian politics and from there within Australian society,” he said.

“The position of the government has been clear and what we have seen is Peter Dutton seeking to exploit this moment to create division in Australian society and that should be condemned.”

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said Mr Marles’ rhetorical shift was welcome but didn’t go far enough.

“He still attaches the caveat ‘but how it does so matters’ in a way which falsely implies (Israel) is not complying with the rules of war. He also refused to unequivocally agree that Israel has a right to strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon,” Dr Rubenstein said.

“The reality is that Israel has made unprecedented efforts to minimise harm to civilians in Gaza and Lebanon, where Hamas and Hezbollah have deliberately sacrificed their own civilians in their brutal human shield and rocket lounge room strategies, making the terrorists responsible for all the tragic civilian casualties that have ensued.”

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the Albanese government had been “all over the place trying to be all things to all people rather than showing leadership by being consistent in its stance on Israel”.

“Just days ago Richard Marles was contorting himself to avoid acknowledging Israel’s right to respond to Iran’s missile attacks yet now he gives a half-hearted acknowledgment without acknowledging that may mean strikes on Iranian targets,” Senator Birmingham said.

“One need only look at the Albanese Government’s voting record at the UN for factual evidence that they are out of step with the US on Israel.

“The fact is that the Albanese Government has trashed decades of bipartisanship on a two-state solution and, in doing so, has put Australia at odds with our closest ally.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NOAH YIM