Diaspora community leaders speak out against Ben-Gvir’s Religious Zionists

DEBORAH STONE: Australian Zionists cannot support the inclusion of Ben-Gvir’s party in a future government, says Zionist Federation of Australia president JEREMY LEIBLER.

For many years the Australian Jewish community has supported Israel’s government whatever its colour.

But Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) president Jeremy Leibler made it clear at the ZFA conference on Sunday that there is a limit. The probable inclusion of the Otzma Yehudit (Religious Zionist) party in a Netanyahu-led coalition is unacceptable to Australian Jews.

Diaspora communities around the world are worried about the rise of the far Right in Israel. The Australian Jewish News, which has supported the Right in Israeli politics for many years, says Israel's future is at stake. The Jewish Chronicle in the UK called for "outrage" and a broad range of Jewish organisations have described Israel's far Right as "disturbing" and reprehensible. Even the Anti-Defamation League, known for its unqualified support for Jews and Israel, said the mainstreaming of extremist ideologies through inclusion in the Israeli government would be "corrosive to Israel's founding principles".

Leibler used his presidential speech at the ZFA conference to speak out against Otzma Yehudit politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, a known admirer of racist Meir Kahane and in favour of the current coalition’s inclusion of Arab party Ra’am.

“In 1984, Meir Kahane was elected to the Knesset. Whenever Kahane would stand to address the Knesset, then Likud prime minister Yitzchak Shamir would lead his entire faction in a walkout. Kahane served just one term before later being convicted of acts of terrorism and his party Kach was eventually banned for inciting racism. Yet today his ideological heir, Itamar Ben Gvir, and his misleadingly named “religious Zionism” party are polling strongly,” he said.