Labor MP Peter Khalil condemns antisemitism

Labor MP and government Special Envoy for Social Cohesion, Peter Khalil, has delivered a forceful condemnation of rising antisemitism in Australia.

He describes it as a “vile, ancient hatred” that requires a whole-of-society response.

In an interview with The AJN addressing the current climate facing Australian Jews, Khalil emphasised that antisemitism cannot be excused under any circumstances, including disagreements over foreign policy.

“The vile, ancient hatred of antisemitism, which has wound its wicked way through thousands of years of history, obviously with the pogroms in Europe, culminating in the worst actions that humankind has inflicted upon itself in the Holocaust… is now being felt again in modern day Australia by Jewish Australians,” Khalil said.

The Australian MP, whose parents came here from Egypt in the 1970s,  detailed the government’s actions to combat antisemitism, including “the establishment of Operation Avalite, the appointment of Gillian Segal as the antisemitism envoy, some 60 million in funding and resources for protection of Jewish schools and community centres and synagogues, the legislative response in banning the Nazi symbol and hate symbols and doxing against Jewish Australians.”

Khalil directly addressed criticism from Jewish community organisations that the Labor government’s policies towards Israel and Gaza might have emboldened antisemitic sentiment in Australia.

“The assumption that in any way Australia’s diplomatic or foreign policy is an excuse for people who have hatred in their hearts to express antisemitism… that is not the case. There is no excuse for antisemitism,” he stated firmly.

The MP was particularly critical of certain minor parties, widely interpreted as a reference to the Greens, for “fanning the flames” of division.

“They’re fanning the flames in the statements they’ve made, in the actions they’ve taken, in the inability to condemn Hamas, the inability to stand firm against the scourge of antisemitism, and worse, to play the worst types of tropes,” Khalil said.

As the government’s Special Envoy for Social Cohesion, Khalil expressed hope that the antisemitism being witnessed represents only a “very loud and violent minority” rather than broader Australian sentiment.

He noted that many Australians have rallied around the Jewish community, with some helping to remove antisemitic vandalism.

“I do really believe that the vast majority of Australians reject outright these terrible acts that the Jewish Australian community have been subject to,” he said, recounting his visit to Adass Israel Synagogue where he witnessed the “palpable sense of fear and anger that the community was facing.”

Khalil called for leadership at all levels of society to confront antisemitism, suggesting that legal sanctions alone cannot eliminate hatred.

He emphasised the need for Australians to navigate differences peacefully while maintaining social cohesion.

“Fundamentally, it’s about the shape of our society and who we are as human beings, what basic decency we show to each other, even if I disagree with you vehemently,” Khalil concluded.

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