Given the long and violent history of the Israeli-Arab conflict, views towards it are pre-formed, polarised and, in most cases, utterly intransigent.
Even when a hideous atrocity is perpetrated, such as that on October 7, views range from outright condemnation to a search for some moral equivalence to, as we sawIn Australia, it has been a struggle for the government to find the right language as it simultaneously negotiates its own internal dynamics.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong was criticised for failing to grasp the moral clarity of the situation when her initial reaction was to call for restraint from both sides.From that, she shifted towards standing with Israel and its right to defend itself, saying that Hamas was doing the Palestinians harm, to, more recently,On Wednesday, she warned: “The way Israel exercises its right to defend itself matters. It matters to civilians throughout the regions, and it matters to Israel’s ongoing security.
Hers is far from an isolated view, but Israel is not overly fussed about what Australia thinks. The relationship between the Albanese government and Benjamin Netanyahu is not close. At the time of writing, Netanyahu had yet to take a call from the prime minister, although one was planned. Much of the government’s focus is on maintaining social cohesion at home as the prospect of an escalation increases.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, who recently held a hook-up with her Five Eyes counterparts about the domestic implications of events in Israel, was unfazed when ministers Ed Husic and Anne Aly, both Muslims,The view among O’Neil and her colleagues was that it would help with social cohesion for the Arab community to know it had friends in government.
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