Australian MP says Israel ‘can count on understanding’ of his government

Israel can “count on the compassion and understanding” of the Australian government as it faces the current terror wave, a parliamentarian from the ruling Liberal Party of Australia says.

“In times of trauma and crisis such as this, it is imperative that opinion makers, be they journalists or politicians, speak the truth and demonstrate moral clarity,” MP Michael Sukkar, a Christian and the son of a Lebanese immigrant, declares. “Those who seek to justify the deaths of innocent Israelis by blaming them on settlements or events in Gaza should be utterly ashamed of themselves.”

Addressing the House of Representatives Monday, Sukkar lists several examples of anti-Jewish incitement by Palestinian politicians and clerics, arguing that they could not be dismissed as mere rhetoric. Rather, they need to be recognized as “commands to be obeyed with merciless and fanatical brutality.”

Sukkar also takes Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to task for “vile statements,” suggesting that they encourage terror attacks against innocent Israelis.

“Given these terrible atrocities, I want to take this opportunity to convey my sincerest condolences to the people of Israel and their grieving families in the Australian Jewish community,” Sukkar says. “They can certainly count on the compassion and understanding of this government at such a difficult time.”

— Raphael Ahren