Anthony Albanese: 25 years of anti-Israel sentiment

After the tragic terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, we became all too familiar with the phrase “globalise the intifada”.  The word “intifada” is Arabic and translates to “uprising” or “shaking off”.  Although we have become accustomed to hearing it in our streets and on our television screens over the last couple of years, the reality is that the Jewish people have been the victims of intifadas for decades.  Some will try to tell you that an intifada is simply a non-violent expression of support for the Palestinian people.  History tells us otherwise.  To its Arab defenders, the word “intifada” has a clear correlation to the violent overthrow of the State of Israel.  To the Jewish people, the word invokes memories of the First (1987-1993) and Second (2000-2005) Intifadas during which many innocent Jewish lives were taken. 

Since the terrorist attack which occurred at the Sydney suburb of Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025, governments are finally beginning to see the phrase “globalise the intifada” for what it is—a clarion call for violence against the Jewish people around the world.  Yet, many remain in a state of delusion and denial.  Some are even going so far as to whitewash the actions of the Palestinians during the First and Second Intifadas despite evidence that during the first four years of the First Intifada alone there were 3,600 Molotov cocktail attacks, 100 hand grenade attacks and 600 assaults with guns or explosives.  Although statistics around deaths can vary depending on the source, in the January/February 2003 edition of the Israel My Glory magazine, they indicated that almost 200 Israelis had been killed compared with over 1,100 Palestinians.  Shockingly, 942 Palestinians were killed by other Palestinians for allegedly collaborating with Israel.

In the United Kingdom, the Crown Prosecution Service repeatedly maintained that many of the phrases which were causing fear in the Jewish community did not meet prosecution thresholds.  Frustratingly, this was an approach which was replicated across the Western world.  Thankfully some recognised that words of violence do actually have real world consequences but at the same time, appeared to resign themselves to the fact that, judicially, nothing could be done until such time as an actual act of violence occurred.  In other words, it was an apparent capitulation to mob rule.  Since the Bondi Beach terrorist attack, the United Kingdom is one such nation which has decided to wrest power from the mob.  An excerpt from a statement made by the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police dated 17 December 2025 read as follows: “We know communities are concerned about placards and chants such as ‘globalise the intifada’ and those using it at future protests or in a targeted way should expect the Met and GMP to take action. Violent acts have taken place, the context has changed - words have meaning and consequence. We will act decisively and make arrests.”

However, not everyone was pleased with the announcement.  The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, in a statement released on 18 December 2025, opened by saying: “The Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police have announced that they will arrest pro-Palestine protestors for holding placards or chanting slogans with the phrase ‘Globalise the Intifada’.  The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) condemns this action, including the arrests of four protestors already for chanting ‘intifada’ in support of Palestinian rights.”  Then, in a blatant act of whitewashing the killing of Israelis during the First Intifada they went on to state: “The First Intifada is well documented as largely non-violent and unarmed, mainly focusing on boycotts and strikes. Israel killed 1,603 Palestinians in the First Intifada.”  Note that they didn’t mention the 3,600 Molotov cocktail attacks, 100 hand grenade attacks and 600 assaults with guns or explosives, nor the hundreds of Israelis killed by Palestinians.  They completely absolved the Palestinians of any wrongdoing in pursuit of the narrative that the movement to “globalise the intifada” is inherently peaceful. 

The New South Wales government (which governs the State in which Sydney is located) has also taken steps to ban the phrase.  On 20 December 2025, a statement from The Premier and the Attorney General read, in part: “Horrific recent events also show that the chant ‘globalise the intifada’ is hate speech and encouraging of violence in our community. This chant will be banned alongside other hateful statements used to vilify and intimidate our community.”  In addition, there are some suggestions from the New South Wales government that existing legislation will allow the Premier to effectively ban protests for the next three months, specifically targeting the pro-Palestine rallies. 

Although many Australians will welcome the move, it came at an enormous cost—the lives of Jewish men, women and children.  It was obvious to many that the rallies were becoming more extreme and violent in nature.  Yet, authorities allowed them to continue unchecked.  The federal government’s antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, drew a direct connection between the rallies and the resulting terrorist attack.  She said: “This did not come without warning. In Australia, it began on 9 October 2023 at the Sydney Opera House. We then watched a march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, waving terrorist flags and glorifying extremist leaders. Now death has reached Bondi Beach.”  In a similar statement, David Ossip, the president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies also said that “for two years, people have paraded in our streets and universities calling for the intifada to be globalised, a catchphrase which means kill Jews wherever you find them.  Last night, the intifada was globalised and came to Bondi. What we’ve seen has been the logical progression. Demonising Jews with rhetoric, which slowly builds up to acts of violence and then acts of violence which last night took life.”

Since the terrorist attack, many Australians have been asking how it reached this point.  In the year 2000, against the backdrop of the failed Camp David Summit and the beginning of the Second Intifada, anti-Israel sentiment was sweeping the world.  A group of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in Sydney’s Hyde Park and marched to Martin Place, where the US Consulate was then located.  A group of protestors attempted to storm the US Consulate while others burned US and Israeli flags.  According to news reports from the day, chants of "Free, Free Palestine", drowned out several speakers including an Australian member of parliament.  That member of parliament would become Australia’s future Prime Minister. 

In a video of the event, not far from where a younger Anthony Albanese stood, was a large banner which read “Stop the Israeli Slaughter – Free Palestine Now”.  As Mr Albanese is given a megaphone he says, “The response of Israel has been to meet children throwing rocks with helicopters, with tanks and with missiles.”  The Australian Jewish News reported that Mr Albanese had also been at a Canberra rally around the same time, referring to him as a “pro-Palestinian Labor MP”.  Sadly, as it is now, so it was then.  Synagogues were vandalised in both Sydney and Canberra (the locations of the two rallies) and Jewish families were advised to avoid public displays of faith.  

Where did Australia go wrong?  In part, 25 years ago.  Anthony Albanese failed Australia’s Jewish community in 2000, and he failed them again in 2025.  By God’s mercy, may this be the last of his failures.