Wong apologises to Jewish community as Albanese questioned over anti-Israel past
Foreign Minister Penny Wong also condemned the slogans "From the River to the Sea" and "Globalise the Intifada".
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has issued an apology to Australia’s Jewish community following the December 14 terror attack at Bondi Beach, conceding the government could have done more to combat rising antisemitism.
Wong told The Advertiser she was “desperately sorry” for the tragedy that claimed 15 lives and injured 40 others at the Chanukah event.
“I’m desperately sorry for what has occurred in our country and what the Jewish community have experienced,” she said on Friday.
Senator Wong said: “You always regret what more could have been done… We acted, but we have to do more – and we are.
“I think the two aspects of reform that we’re engaging in now are really important, both in terms of gun control, but also we acted on hate speech, but we clearly need to go further.”
Wong also condemned the slogans “From the River to the Sea” and “Globalise the Intifada”, saying she agrees with antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal that they “have been used to whip up anger and hatred of the Jewish people.”
Her apology follows Opposition leader Sussan Ley’s criticism of Wong earlier this week for not visiting the site of the mass shooting.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese engaged in a tense exchange with a radio host on Christmas Day when questioned about his past appearance at an anti-Israel rally.
Albanese was being interviewed by Susie Elelman on 2GB whilst attending a lunch for homeless people in Sydney when the conversation became contentious.
“There’s footage going around of what looks like you on a microphone at an anti-Israeli rally … is that fake news? Is it you or a doppelganger,” Elelman asked.
Albanese said he had not seen the footage and had “no idea” what the radio host was talking about.
“I’m not going to comment on something that you are not showing me, with respect. And if you were going to (ask) it would have been normal to show someone,” Albanese said.
It appears she was referring to footage posted online showing Albanese at a rally in Martin Place earlier in his parliamentary career.
Albanese is speaking into a megaphone at the rally, standing next to a banner reading “Stop the Israeli slaughter, free Palestine now”.
“The stance of Israel is to meet children throwing rocks with helicopter gunships, with tanks and with missiles,” Albanese says at the rally.
When pressed on whether he had been involved in anti-Israeli rallies, Albanese said he had always been a supporter of a two-state solution.
“I have been involved in the Middle East and have consistently, consistently supported the state of Israel’s right to exist within secure borders but also the right of Palestinians,” he said.
The Prime Minister cut the interview short.
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