A "national interest"Rise in antisemitism blamed on pm

Dutton pledges to ‘mend’ Israel relationship

"In the first days of a Coalition government, I will call the Prime Minister of Israel to mend the relationship that Labor has trashed," Peter Dutton pledged.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton at a campaign rally in Melbourne on January 12. Photo: Facebook
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton at a campaign rally in Melbourne on January 12. Photo: Facebook

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton outlined the Coalition’s “key priorities to get Australia back on track” at a campaign rally in Melbourne on Sunday, where he blamed Prime Minister Albanese for failing to effectively counter antisemitism.

“Shockingly, antisemitism has surged by more than 700 per cent. Every incident of antisemitism can be traced back to the Prime Minister’s dereliction of leadership in response to the sordid events on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Antisemitism should have been stopped there and then,” Dutton said referring to the antisemitic chants on October 9, 2023.

Dutton also criticised the Albanese government’s treatment of Israel. “This government is so morally confused it treats our ally, Israel, like an adversary. Moreover, its push for Palestinian statehood at this time would reward Hamas’s use of terrorism to achieve political ends.

“In the first days of a Coalition government, I will call the Prime Minister of Israel to mend the relationship that Labor has trashed,” Dutton pledged.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Dutton added that restoring the relationship was in the “national interest” noting that Israel had previously provided intelligence to Australia that stopped terror attacks.

Under the Albanese government its relationship with Israel has strained. Following the firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue on December 6, Israel’s PM wrote, “It is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia.”

Albanese rejected Dutton’s allegation that he bears responsibility for antisemitism, telling the ABC, “Peter Dutton could be just plain nasty. And that’s an example.

“On October 9, the day that the Opera House event happened, I called for that to not go ahead on radio interviews that are available,” Albanese said.

The PM also defended his record in the Sunday Telegraph, stating, “We’ve set up the first envoy on antisemitism … we’ve introduced anti-hate laws including outlawing Nazi symbols. We’ve set up a taskforce … I’ve called it out at each and every opportunity.”

However, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin was not convinced.

“It’s jarring to hear the Prime Minister rattling off his achievements in fighting antisemitism at a time when serious attacks are a daily reality for Jewish Australians. It would be the same as listing economic achievements during a depression.”

Ryvchin called for the Prime Minister to urgently convene a National Cabinet meeting as requested by Julian Leeser MP, implement mandatory education on antisemitism, and direct police to strictly enforce existing laws.

Albanese rejected calls for a National Cabinet meeting on Monday.

“State and territory governments are responsible primarily for those issues,” he said. “What we have established is Operation Avalite to make sure that the Australian Federal Police work cooperatively with state and territory governments and work as well with the security agencies.”

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