Greens face election slide as Jews rail against them
Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, a profound shift in Australian politics has occurred. It will become more apparent in 2024. The Australian Greens, already the most left-wing political party holding office in Australia, have placed themselves beyond the pale for the Jewish community and many mainstream Australians.
Following the largest massacre of Jews post-Holocaust, the four federal Greens MPs alone rejected a motion condemning Hamas’s barbarism. This was after they tried inserting an amendment accusing Israel of war crimes. A litany of offensive stunts followed.
Federal deputy leader, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, was forced to delete a picture she posted of Israel’s flag placed in a garbage bin with the words “Keep the world clean”. ‘Dirty Jews’ is an old anti-Semitic trope. Members of the Jewish community protested outside her office the next day.
The party’s foreign affairs spokesman, Jordon Steele-John, was one of several Greens to erroneously blame Israel for a misfired Palestinian rocket hitting Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital.
Although foreign policy is ostensibly a federal issue, the Greens’ antipathy to the Jewish State permeates all levels of politics.
The NSW Greens promoted the rally at Sydney’s Opera House that degenerated into chants of “gas the Jews”. The Greens’ Brisbane mayoral candidate, Jonathan Sriranganathan, declared that Nazis and Zionists were unwelcome at a rally opposing the Gabba Olympics. Almost all Australian Jews are Zionists. Besides the crude inappropriateness of grouping Jewish people in with those who murdered their families, it’s unclear why he connected Jews with this issue.
Across Australia, Greens councillors injected the Middle East conflict into local politics by proposing anti-Israel motions.
In the Jewish community, there is growing, visceral hatred of the Greens. This is translating into action. Long lines formed outside Waverley Council in Sydney’s east as it voted 10-2 to strip two Greens councillors of their roles after they had opposed a motion condemning Hamas’s attack. Resident after resident requested to speak. I can’t remember seeing such passion over a council matter.
For years, the Australian Jewish Association (AJA), alone amongst Jewish groups, labelled the Greens ‘anti-Semitic’. Our how-to-vote advice had one simple message: put the Greens last. Now, even more reserved Jewish leaders are agreeing. One prominent leader, considerably to the left of AJA, said: “For the first time in history, we have a political party in Australia openly hostile to the Jewish community.”
Jewish Liberal MP Julian Leeser, considered a moderate, recently exhorted both major parties to preference the Greens last, saying “the Greens are treating the horrors of the war on Israel as an opportunity to whip up anti-Semitic hate. I have always preferenced One Nation last. But it’s clear to me that the Greens are now worse than One Nation.”
This is a fundamental shift. One Nation was considered toxic by the Jewish establishment, who instead tried to court the Greens.
The two electorates with the largest Jewish populations, Wentworth and Macnamara, will feel the greatest impact.
In Wentworth, Teal MP Allegra Spender is already facing criticism over perceived lacklustre support for Israel and for her constituents facing skyrocketing anti-Semitism. Many say she speaks the right words but without the enthusiasm or conviction of former member Dave Sharma.
If Spender doesn’t split from her fellow Teals and put the Greens last, she can expect a backlash.
A more unexpected contest is Labor MP Josh Burn’s seat of Macnamara. Lately, a clash between Labor and the Greens, the latter have likely sabotaged their chances. Labor too has lost Jewish support. Facing pressure, Burns recently announced a solidarity trip to Israel. If he preferences the Greens, the Coalition will have their best chance of flipping Macnamara in years.
The NSW and Victorian local council elections are both scheduled for this year. I expect many people will take a keen interest for the first time and that numerous Greens councillors will be ousted.
With Labor languishing in national polls, the prospect of a future minority government reliant on the Greens is a frightening major vulnerability that will provide powerful campaign material to the Coalition.