Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews to be recognised by Zionist movement with Jerusalem Medal

Earlier Australian winners of the Jerusalem Prize embody former prime ministers Bob Hawke, John Howard, Julia Gillard and Scott Morrison, former abroad minister Alexander Downer, Victorian state MPs David Southwick and Marsha Thomson and journalist Greg Sheridan.

Leibler will on the awards ceremony lament the fracturing of bipartisan assist for Israel and the rise in antisemitism in Australia given that October 7 assaults.

“For the first time given that State of Israel was established, and throughout the second that Israel and Australia faces these challenges, there’s deep concern amongst us that the enduring, bipartisan assist of Israel, and 0 tolerance of antisemitism, is at risk.”

Higher than 1200 people had been killed all through Hamas’ assault on Israel in 2023, all through which 250 had been kidnapped by its militants and dropped at Gaza as hostages.

Since Israel began its navy operations in response to destroy Hamas and get higher the hostages, the Properly being Ministry in Gaza research that 43,203 people have been killed throughout the occupied territory.

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The year-long battle has created on ongoing, humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and prompted accusations of wrestle crimes in opposition to Hamas and Israel’s authorities.

The Australian authorities, which since early throughout the battle has known as for a ceasefire, helps Palestine’s bid for full UN membership nevertheless abstained from a modern UN choice demanding that Israel withdraw from the West Monetary establishment and Gaza.

In Australia, social ructions created by the wrestle have break up universities, arts organisations and media companies and pushed a rift between Jewish philanthropists and the progressive organisations and causes they fund.

The mass doxing of a number of of Jewish people working in creative industries prompted federal Lawyer-Primary Mark Dreyfus to introduce legal guidelines to outlaw the publication of private, determining knowledge with malicious intent.

Some protesters at weekly, pro-Palestinian rallies staged in central Melbourne have in newest weeks displayed public assist for proscribed terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas.

Since leaving the state parliament, Andrews has agreed to information a Zionist Federation of Australia enterprise delegation to Israel and develop right into a patron of the newly usual Labor Mates of Israel. Speaking at that group’s launch, Andrews well-known that Israel was the one place throughout the Middle East which supported unionism, equal rights for ladies and LGBTI vary.

“I’ve on a regular basis supported Israel and the Jewish group,” he talked about when he joined the group. “I am appalled by the rise of antisemitism in Australia and want to be sure that the Labor Social gathering stays true to its values of respect and equality for all Australians.”

The Jerusalem Prize was instituted in 1990 by the World Zionist Organisation, with nominations made by the movement’s nationwide and state-based federations.