Councillors, Jewish residents intimidated by local government Palestine campaigns

Editor's note: Police were called to a council meeting in Sydney's Inner West on Tuesday night after council members were trapped in the building by pro-Palestinian campaigners. The campaigners became aggressive after a motion censuring Israel and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza was narrowly defeated.

The case is not anomalous. Local government has become a major battleground for Israel-Palestine issues, aggravating a hostile environment for Jews in suburbs with few Jews. This article offers a personal reflection on that impact.

My children and grandchildren live in a northern Melbourne suburb. Travelling from my home in Caulfield to visit them over the past few months has distressed me.

Late last year, the Greens-dominated Darebin Council took down the Aboriginal flag that had flown for years above chambers and raised a Palestinian flag in its place.

Darebin Council's extended substitution contravenes the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet protocols governing flags on the three poles above Council buildings, which detail the display of Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. The Council’s action is disrespectful to Darebin’s and Victoria’s many Aboriginal citizens.

Unlike the Aboriginal flag, the Palestinian flag does not represent residents or express community diversity. According to the 2016 census (the latest available statistics), there were 772 people born in Gaza or the West Bank in the whole of Victoria, about 86% of whom were Australian citizens.

Flying the flag of another country or disputed territory on a council building is the opposite of encouraging social cohesion and inclusivity. That is the experience of my family in a suburb with few Jews and strong support for Palestinians.