Former Australian PM: Jews have ‘felt very alone these last few years, very abandoned’

Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison says the country’s Jewish community has “felt very alone these last few years, very alone, very abandoned, very isolated, very forgotten.”

“And at this moment, the country is putting their arms around them, and I’m very pleased for them,” he tells Australia’s ABC News.

“This has been a hard road since October 7 for them. And as each day has passed, we have just seen antisemitism in this country just unleashed in a vacuum — where evil has occupied that vacuum. And it’s just gone from worse to worse to worse, and it’s now been manifested in this most despicable and appalling attack,” he says.

“They have sought to combat it, they have sought to stand up against it… to overcome their fear. But the fear is real, and their safety has not been secured. That’s very clear with what we’ve seen tragically occur here,” Morrison adds.

“I just hope that leads to a genuine acknowledgement and appreciation of what must be done to combat this just appalling antisemitism that has no place in this country, but [which] clearly has found a foothold over these last few years since October 7.”