Newman warns free world is ‘living through a test’

Israel’s ambassador to Australia has called on the nation to recognise that geographical distance no longer guarantees safety and urged Australians to stand against rising antisemitism.

In a speech to the National Press Club last week, Hillel Newman said Australia had “long relied on its geographical isolation for security” but recent events demonstrated “these alone are no longer safeguards”.

“In today’s world, with radical ideologies and rapidly evolving technologies, geographical distance and even oceans are no longer guarantees of safety,” Newman said.

“Radicalised individuals can target a Nova festival in Israel or a Chanukah celebration in Sydney. These threats are real, immediate and global.”

Newman said antisemitism was “on the rise worldwide, including here in Australia, a country known for its diversity and openness”.

“Jewish citizens have faced attacks in neighbourhoods, schools, synagogues, university campuses and public spaces. This did not start on October 7,” he said.

“What began as graffiti and vandalism tragically escalated to bullets on Bondi Beach.”

He said it was “our collective obligation to ensure that our Jewish brothers and sisters can live freely, worship safely and live without fear”.

Newman said modern antisemitism often disguised itself as antizionism or opposition to the Jewish state.

He said the free world was “living through a test” of whether countries truly understood what was at stake.

“We may be separated by distance, by history and by politics, but at the end of the day, we, the moderates, the like-minded countries, are part of the same camp. We share the same values. We share the same threats. We must stand together and defend our values,” he said.

Newman also addressed Iran as a regional and global threat and the joint Israel-US military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, Lebanon and Hezbollah, and Australia-Israel relations.