With antisemitism rising to disturbing levels in Australia, many in the Jewish community are very disappointed at the Australian government, who are perceived to not be doing enough to curb it, while even contributing to it with their hostility towards Israel. Even the Israeli PM tweeted the following after the Adass Israel synagogue arson attack in Melbourne:
The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism. I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future. Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the UN resolution calling on Israel “to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible”, and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country. Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism.
So the following explosive revelations are going to prove extremely inconvenient and perhaps damaging to the Australian government and Australian PM Anthony Albanese.
A screenshot of the following WhatsApp message – purportedly written by Labor MP Sam Lim to a Whatsapp group he either ran or was part of – has been doing the rounds:
The text paints Albanese as not just anti-Israel but minimizing the synagogue arson attack. Compare to his public statements in which he portrays himself as treating it and antisemitism in Australia seriously:
Following the leak, Lim issued contradictory denials, firstly claiming the comment was posted by “someone from Brisbane,” despite appearing under his name, and then relying on the tried-and-tested “my phone was compromised” defense.
Labor MP Sam Lim claims his phone “may have been compromised” and used to spread “scary” misinformation about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
He’s taken the extraordinary step of deleting WhatsApp from his phone after seeking advice from police, over a message posted under his name that claimed Mr Albanese called Israel’s Prime Minister “another hegemon”.
Mr Lim, the MP for Tangney, confirmed he operated the WhatsApp group that circulated the message in the wake of the arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue.
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Screenshots of the post were shared in Perth political circles, prompting Mr Lim to issue a bizarre denial.
He originally claimed the comment was posted by “someone from Brisbane” despite appearing under his name.“This misinformation is so scary . . . this is harmful.”
“I have spoken to the PM and he indicated that those were not his words,” he said.
“I made a mistake in allowing this statement to be shared and it has been removed from all my chat groups.”
An hour later, he told The West he had sought advice from a friend in Queensland Police.
“Possibly my mobile phone has been compromised,” he said.
“This misinformation is so scary . . . this is harmful.”
Update: Here Lim told The Australian that the quote attributed to Mr Albanese was fake, but he would not expand on the origins of the statement.
It seems to me that the text is from Lim, hence the contradictory denials in a clumsy attempt at damage control. The real question in my mind is whether what he claims PM Albanese said is something that PM Albanese actually said.
While we don’t know for certain whether the PM said what appears in the text, it does sound entirely consistent with the Albanese that Sharri Markson of Sky News Australia recently exposed:
On the other hand, it is unlikely he would say this in front of “Murdoch mercenaries” (a derogatory term for News Corp journalists) and the journalists not reporting it – unless what Lim meant was the PM was confronted by the journalists and afterwards (not in their presence) he said what Lim claimed.
I would suggest that PM Albanese has some explaining to do AND needs to call on Sam Lim to resign.
Updates
12/12/24 16:40: Just a few weeks ago, Lim was a signatory of this very one-sided letter by Labor Friends of Palestine NSW:
13/12/24 6:50: Liberal senator Matt O’Sullivan has written on Facebook:
Sam Lim needs to be held accountable for his absolutely shocking comments which describe the Melbourne synagogue firebombing as the likely work of “a few despondent radicals who had had enough” of the bombing of Gaza.
Whether or not his phone was hacked remains to be seen, however his lack of apology or rejection of the comments speaks volumes.
13/12/24 6:55: According to the SMH, PM Albanese’s office denied the Prime Minister said the supposed quote, but declined to comment further.
13/12/24 12:45: Lim is acting like its business as usual:
Two WA Federal Labor MPs are part of a new push for Australia to recognise Palestinian statehood that has further divided the Albanese Government.
The West Australian can reveal that Member for Tangney Sam Lim and WA Senator Louise Pratt signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging him to end the international community’s “inaction” and free the Palestinian people from the “tyranny” of Israel’s presence.
The letter was signed by 106 parliamentarians from Australia, New Zealand and Canada, including all Federal Greens MPs and seven Labor MPs.
“For 57 years the Palestinian people have been subject to a brutal foreign military occupation,” the letter stated.
“Palestinians will continue to suffer at the hands of Netanyahu’s government. It is more urgent than ever that the international community meets this moment with principled action.
“The recognition of Palestine as a state is a step towards restarting rights-based peace talks and will reinforce the moderate voices on both sides who seek a peaceful and political solution . . . we urge our governments: recognise the State of Palestine.”
Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash said the letter was “appalling” and further proof the Albanese Government’s support for Israel was not united.
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