Cohesion ‘very much at risk’

The head of one America’s most influential Jewish advocacy organisations last week delivered a scathing assessment of the Albanese government’s failure to adequately confront rising antisemitism, declaring that Australia’s social cohesion is “very much at risk”.

Speaking at an Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council media lunch in Sydney, American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch criticised what he described as leadership unwillingness to acknowledge that attacks on Zionists constitute attacks on Jews, given that 93 per cent of Australian Jews identify as Zionists.

“What seems to be lacking is an unwillingness to acknowledge, to recognise that when one group is targeted, when one group is attempted to be silenced, and that group happens to be Zionists … that is an attack against Jews,” Deutch said after completing a week of meetings with officials in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

The former Democratic congressman from Florida expressed particular concern about weekly anti-Israel protests in Melbourne that effectively prevent Jews from accessing parts of the city. He rejected explanations from officials about allowing people to “blow off steam” as inexcusable justifications for antisemitism.

“As if there is any justification for the fact that one day a week Jews cannot go into the city of Melbourne,” he said. “The failure to recognise that tells us that our concerns coming in are absolutely valid.”

Deutch also condemned the government’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood, arguing it “discards all of the conditions” that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had previously acknowledged must be met.

Drawing on his experience as former chair of the US Congress Middle East subcommittee, Deutch warned that premature recognition makes Palestinian statehood “less likely” and strengthens extremists including Hamas, whose “only interest is in the destruction of Israel”.

However, Deutch expressed optimism about the broader Middle East situation, suggesting that Israel’s military successes against Hamas and Hezbollah, combined with Iran’s weakened position and Syria’s changed circumstances, create unprecedented opportunities for peace.

He identified normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia as “the key to everything changing in the region” and potentially transforming global perceptions of Israel. Such a development, he argued, would isolate those chanting “from the river to the sea” on “the island that they deserve to be on”.

Deutch described the current moment as unique in that, unlike previous conflicts, the international community has not pressured Israel to accept a ceasefire before achieving decisive victory. He suggested this could lead to lasting strategic gains that benefit regional stability and the prospects for genuine peace.