Israel has launched another broadside against the Albanese government, accusing it of sitting on its hands and letting anti-Semitism fester across Australia.
The Israeli government’s latest criticism follows another anti-Semitic attack in Sydney, where a childcare centre was set alight and vandalised.
In an exclusive interview with the ABC in Jerusalem, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel described the Albanese government’s own policies as fuelling violence against Australia’s Jewish community.
She said Australian authorities had been too slow and too cautious in investigating incidents across the country, allowing the problem to get worse.
“Obviously the attitude of the current Australian government towards Israel is inflaming a lot of these emotions and giving, I guess, some acceptance when you do not fight it,” she said.
“Words are not enough, we’ve passed that long time ago, words are not enough.
“The Jewish community needs actions, and only through that, through deterrence, through investigation, prosecution — you have to fight it.
“I mean, what are they waiting for? For someone to die? For someone to be murdered?”
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel says Anthony Albanese has been too slow to respond to a wave of anti-Semitic attacks. (ABC News: Steve Cannane)
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke refuted claims the government had not acted.
“The concept that we are waiting is frankly wrong,” Mr Burke told ABC Radio National.
“There were no laws against Nazi symbols and the Nazi salute in Australia … we changed the law. There were no laws about doxxing … when doxxing was used as a form of anti-Semitism, we brought in laws. We have legislation in parliament now about hate crimes. There have been visa cancellations I have personally done.
“With respect to those comments that this government is somehow waiting is simply not right.”
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a snap meeting of National Cabinet to discuss the issue.
During the talks, the Australian Federal Police said it was investigating whether foreign funds were being funnelled into Australia to pay people to commit the attacks.
“I won’t be surprised if that’s the case, but I don’t think all of them can be attributed just to that,” Ms Haskel said.
“We know that Iran is operating in different ways around the world … and we have seen cases like that also in France and the United States and in other places.
“I think it should be investigated, but it should have started a year back.”
Ms Haskel cited Australia’s recent voting record at the United Nations as an example of the Albanese government’s conduct giving anti-Semitism the green light.
“We didn’t expect Australia to join this political game,” she said.
Late last year Australia voted in support of a motion demanding Israel end its occupation of Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
When questioned on whether she really believed violent offenders were paying close attention to the nation’s votes in New York, or if they were responding to Israel’s behaviour in places such as Gaza, Ms Haskel insisted the former was a factor.
“Australia has a certain record on these votes, it actually turned its votes on that specific one which every year are being brought at the United Nations,” she said.
“It’s a change of attitude.
“Do we care about it? Of course.
“What we’ve experienced here during the last year is Israel’s hardest time … we expected one of our best allies, a very historical long-term friend to actually support us and they turned their back.”
Tension simmers despite Dreyfus’ diplomatic visit
Ms Haskel lived in Australia for six years, and said the scenes she was seeing from the country were not indicative of the Australia she remembered.
Her broader criticism echoes sentiments expressed by her Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in the wake of the terror attack on the Adass Israel synagogue.
Soon after there was a heated phone call between Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, the highest ranking Jewish member of the Albanese government, travelled to Israel last week to meet with members of the government and spoke with Ms Haskel while in the country.
Ms Haskel suggested the Albanese government was courting votes.
“I believe this is definitely pushed by internal politics to satisfy very extreme voices in Australia who are pushing towards this attitude,” she said.
“I understand, I’m a politician as well, I need to be elected as well.
“But usually the Australian government knew where to put the red line, and it doesn’t feel like it really knows how to do it right now.”
