Social disharmony worst I have seen, says Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese says social disharmony brought on by the war in Gaza was the worst he has ever seen.

Anthony Albanese in question time on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Anthony Albanese says social ­disharmony brought on by the war in Gaza was the worst he has ever seen, accusing NSW Greens MP Jenny Leong of engaging in anti-Semitic behaviour for ­describing Jewish groups as using “their tentacles” to influence politicians.

The Prime Minister defended being absent from the parliamentary chamber on Wednesday to vote against the Greens’ push to debate an anti-Israel motion, arguing he did not want to elevate the views of the minor party.

“When a suspension of standing orders is moved by the Greens political party, what I don’t do is elevate it,” Mr Albanese said.

Most of the cabinet was absent for the “mickey” vote, which MPs from major parties were not required to attend as it was set to be easily defeated.

The parliamentary debate came as Foreign Minister Penny Wong revealed that she had spoken to the head of the UN’s Palestine aid agency, amid expectations Australia will restore funding to the body.

“We spoke about ensuring that donors such as Australia can have the confidence to ensure that the pause is lifted because this is important for the people of Gaza and the people of the Occupied Palestinian Territories more broadly,” Senator Wong said.

In parliament, Mr Albanese said the community tensions round the war in Gaza should not be “weaponised”.

“I condemn, totally, any form of anti-Semitism – including the comments by my local (state) member, the member for Newtown (Ms Leong), whose comments about tentacles, with regard to the Jewish community, I find offensive,” the Prime Minister said.

“I find it had its origins in anti-Semitism, and I condemn it un­equivocally.

“Just as I condemn forms of, that I have seen, Islamo­phobic comments and behaviour as well,” he added.

At a pro-Palestine event last year, Ms Leong said the Jewish lobby’s “tentacles reach into the areas that try and influence power”.

The phrase “tentacles” was used by Nazis beginning in the 1920s to convey a conspiracy Jews were taking over the world.

Ms Leong has apologised for using the term.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, has urged Greens MPs to watch raw footage of Hamas’s October 7 terror attacks in Israel.

“Given the amount of time the Greens have devoted to ­attacking Israel in parliament this week, I call on Adam Bandt, ­Mehreen Faruqi, Jordon Steele-John and every Greens MP and senator to set aside 42 ­minutes of their schedules next week in Canberra to watch the raw footage proudly recorded by Hamas terrorists on 7 October, when they put their genocidal anti-Semitic ideology into action,” he said.