The appointment of Jillian Segal, immediate past president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s new ‘Anti-Semitism Envoy‘ is a response to the demands of a powerful lobby, designed to conceal Australia’s collusion with the beyond belief cruelties imposed by Israel on the Palestinian people. “There can be no ceasefire until every hostage has been released,” Segal stated in November; joining with the Zionist Federation of Australia to criticise the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, for saying “we all want to take the next steps towards a ceasefire” in Gaza.
The Prime Minister assures the country there has been a dramatic rise in anti-Semitism since October 2023, hence his appointment of an anti-Semitism envoy.
Following that appointment, commentators on Sky News frothed that the appointment was ‘too little too late.’ Then came The Bolt Report, whose Socratic pundit declared the envoy appointment may be only symbolic, but he knows that hatred towards people of Jewish conviction is everywhere. He expressed no empathy for the men, women and children of Gaza.
There’s a question ignored by the Prime Minister and by other enthusiasts for the appointment of this envoy. What exactly is meant by anti-Semitism?
There has been a massive rise in disdain for Australia’s cosy relationship with Israel. There is widespread revulsion at end of time slaughters by Israeli forces in Gaza and by soldiers and settlers in the West Bank. Diverse branches of the Labor party, from constituency branches to Young Labor support Senator Fatima Payman for highlighting the killing of up to 40,000 Palestinians and for demanding recognition of the state of Palestine.
If any of that criticism was directed against the Jewish people, that might be considered anti-Semitic. But the anger and criticism has been aimed at the genocidal policies of an Israeli government whose declared intention is to eliminate the Palestinian people, though their military and political leaders claim they are only at war with Hamas.
Given years of unashamed racism towards Palestinians who are also Muslim, a Prime Minister might have immediately appointed an envoy for Islamophobia. He says he’s concerned about social cohesion.
Instead, after decades of death and destruction suffered by Palestinians at the hands of Israeli forces including numerous terrorist gangs, the latest version of Australia’s political and military connivance with Israel is trotted out to defend a country which cares nothing about international law and nothing about the justice based values and principles of Judaism.
The proud announcement of an envoy to investigate anti-Semitism is a response to the demands of a powerful lobby. It is a deliberate distraction by the Labor government designed to conceal Australia’s collusion with the beyond belief cruelties imposed by Israel on the Palestinian people.
If accusations of collusion seem unfair, consider instead the government’s quick acceptance of Israel’s unfounded charges against the Palestinian refugee relief organisation UNRWA, their reluctance to support South Africa in proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and Richard Broinowski’s detailed compilation of evidence showing Australia’s willingness to supply arms to Israel, including components for F-35 jets so needed to wreak as much murder, famine and brutality in Gaza as possible.
The final game playing, amoral absurdity in the concern about anti-Semitism and the consequent appointment of an envoy comes with the choice of the individual responsible for this investigation. A certain Jillian Segal is to be the envoy. As immediate past president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, she is also reported as opposing a ceasefire in Gaza.
Is the government to be taken seriously ? A fox is to take charge of the hen run. This looks like a ‘Yes Minister ‘ form of sour, tongue in cheek, tasteless, misplaced humour.
The continuing slaughter of men, women and children in Gaza, the deliberate destruction of a land and its people is the humanitarian issue of our times. Pretending otherwise, as with the appointment of this envoy, looks and sounds like a cowardly distraction.
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Stuart Rees AM is Professor Emeritus at the University of Sydney & recipient of the Jerusalem (Al Quds) Peace Prize.