The Israel-Hamas conflict is exposing deep cracks within Labor, universities and the wider community over the government’s handling of the issue.
Already a subscriber?If Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thinks pro-Palestinian chants by university students across the country mark a red line in the sand, the students aren’t taking any notice.
“I reckon that if you asked those people chanting it, heaps of them wouldn’t have a clue, wouldn’t be able to find the Jordan on a map,” the PM told 3AW radio this week.One talkback caller, Marko, studying construction and property at Melbourne Uni, says he is one of the 6500 students caught up in the 150 classes cancelled.
Tensions have been brought to a head after Australia voted “yes” in a United Nations vote to support a Palestinian bid to become a full member and Israel entered the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has sought shelter. Albanese condemned West Australian Labor Senator Fatima Payman for using “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” phrase, during remarks on Wednesday when she called on the PM to take action after accusing Israel of “genocide” in Gaza.
The Coalition also has to grapple with their arguably mixed messages. The former Morrison Coalition government spent years, and much political effort, to get universities to adopt a uniform code to protect freedom of speech. But Leibler is being backed by prominent Jewish Australians such as former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg calling on universities to end the “campus camps of hate” and to stand against “antisemitism, violence and hate”.
“They have completely gone outside of their legitimate right to protest. Having a right to protest does not mean you have a blank cheque.”
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