Nothing Anthony Albanese does, is sticking. Take for instance the October 7 memorial services where Dutton exposed the gaping holes in the Labor approach. The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year has exposed the hollowness of international diplomacy to the core. Or so it seems. Its utility came into question well before October 7 last year when this international family of nations – the utterly useless UN (not sure why we still have it), did nothing to stop the Ukraine and Russia fighting which had gone on for more than a year. Now in its third year, the war has no end in sight. The Gaza-Israel war now in its second year, has delivered unspeakable and immeasurable destruction. It seems, before launching the October 7 attacks on Israel, the head honchos had watched all the highlights of Ukraine-Russia conflict and the way the world reacted to it from time to time. They would have known and envisaged the international leaders’ speechwriters and advisors would simply go into a copy and paste mode in response.
Practically, that’s what has happened. The rising global sympathy in favour of Ukraine initially has given way to the social media warriors of the global left to now barrack for the Palestinians, Ukraine being almost completely off the agenda. And they are not entirely wrong; it is hard to digest innocent civilian casualties being so high in Gaza. Imagine a criminal sentenced to death by hanging resulting in the court clerk and the tipstaff also being hanged!
At home, the problem seems to be exacerbated by the equivalence of the narrative employed by politicians – who have cowardly pussyfooted on the issue fearing losing their job at the next election in light of the groundswell of support for the innocent civilians caught in the Hamas-Israel power play. Add to this the histrionics of the Australian Greens – who enjoy the luxury of never having to put their policies to test, moved a resolution for Australia to recognize the state of Palestine alluring the rookie Labor first term senator Fatima Payman to cross-vote, the frailties of Labor were exposed.
And when campaigns like the Muslim Votes Matter and other pressure groups joined hands to mobilise the Muslim votes in Australia, publicly announcing targeting the sitting Labor MPs, the Labor government panicked. It fears the possibility of facing a large-scale rebellion of Muslim vote federally, no matter what its public stance.
That explains Anthony Albanese trying to “speak out of both sides of his mouth” as the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused him of on the drafting of the resolution about October 7 anniversary.
The on-going Ukraine-Russia conflict with no end date in sight and now Israel-Hamas war spilling into multi-nation conflict, again with hardly any deadlines in view – throw a unique challenge in our history – calling for leaders who can be decisive, definitive and conclusive in what they stand for. The issue is complex – there are hundreds if not thousands of civilians losing their lives daily for no fault of theirs (more Palestinians than Israelis), but the fact remains, Hamas is still holding more than hundred hostages, a year on.
Is it not like an on-going siege where some hostages are still being held by criminals while police are doing their best to rescue them? Imagine those still in captivity being Australians. Will anyone in Australia advocate calling the rescue operation off because it has suddenly become too difficult?
Stuck between a rock (the Jewish Australians) and a hard place (the Middle Eastern Australians) on the issue, the Labor government under Anthony Albanese has become a bit of a circus. While Prime Minister (remember his claim to protestors in Canberra ‘I run this country’) Anthony Albanese attends the October 7 memorial service – and sits out in the audience without speaking, where the leadership of the Australian Jews castigates his government for festering anti-Semitic sentiment in the country, his Health Minister Mark Butler attending a similar service in Sydney delivers an entirely different message of his government, taking a clear position on the issue acknowledging Israel’s right to defend itself.
Two different electorates!
Smart politics or capitulation? Take your pick.
On the eve of commemorating the October 7 brutal Hamas attack on the innocent Israelis enjoying their music festival, Anthony Albanese condemning the October 7 attack, said:
“This Parliament comes together once again to unequivocally condemn the actions of Hamas,” Mr Albanese said. “A year on from that day, when death emerged out of the sunshine, we reflect on all that happened and all the devastation that has followed, we think of the brutality and the cruelty that was inflicted on so many with such cold calculation. We think of all whose lives and futures were stolen from them that day as they tried to save themselves and their loved ones, and all who have had them stolen since. As we mourn and reflect, we also reaffirm a fundamental principle of our shared humanity that every innocent life matters: every Israeli, every Palestinian, every Lebanese, every single innocent life.
“It is the terrorists who close their eyes to that powerful, simple truth. It is the terrorists of Hamas that are not only enemies of Israel, they are an enemy of the Palestinian people as well.”
The Albanese government Minister Mark Butler, speaking at a commemorative in Sydney said that Israel “has the right to defend itself and respond to these attacks”.
Also read: Albo finishes 2023 at the Lodge, will he be there after Dec 2024?
“As (US) President (Joe) Biden has said, a military response should be proportionate,” he said. “But no self-respecting nation would fail to defend itself if attacked the way Israel has been.”
A closer look at the two different positions taken by the Albanese government – one in Sydney and the other in Melbourne explains why the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused the Prime Minister of trying to “speak out of both sides of his mouth”.
While the Albanese government is playing the juggler, it is doing huge damage to our cohesive multicultural society. The Labor backbench must be a very tense place, with election around the corner and the cost-of-living pressures on the rise. Is it time for Albo to tie the knot and go away on an extended honeymoon?