closeicon
World

Australian politicians try to woo Jews

Just two days after PM Julia Gillard called a snap federal election for August 21, opposition leader Tony Abbott made the first move to woo Jewish voters.

articlemain

Just two days after PM Julia Gillard called a snap federal election for August 21, opposition leader Tony Abbott made the first move to woo Jewish voters.

The Liberal leader told the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne that the Labour government weakened Australia's longstanding bipartisan support for the Jewish state.

"We would never overreact to any international incident," he said in an apparent reference to the Australian reaction to the flotilla incident and the forgery of four Australian passports used in the assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Dubai in January.

Mr Abbott added: "We appreciate that Israel is under existential threat in a way that almost no other country in the world is. Australians should appreciate that a diminished Israel diminishes the West; it diminishes us."

Ms Gillard, who became PM in June, was accused of being too soft on Israel by the former Australian ambassador to Israel, Ross Burns. She has visited Israel twice and was staunchly supportive of Israel during Operation Cast Lead.

Share via

Want more from the JC?

To continue reading, we just need a few details...

Want more from
the JC?

To continue reading, we just
need a few details...

Get the best news and views from across the Jewish world Get subscriber-only offers from our partners Subscribe to get access to our e-paper and archive