Former Australian Leader Accuses UN of ‘Anti-Semitism’

Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham backed Morrison’s concerns.

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to a large crowd during a rally against anti-semitism at The Domain in Sydney, Australia on Feb. 18, 2024. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has accused the United Nations of anti-Semitism during a speech at a “Never Again” rally in Sydney.

The rally of 10,000 people united against rising anti-Semitism in Israel and around the world was held in The Domain, Sydney, on Feb. 18.

In a speech shared on Facebook, Mr. Morrison said, “Applying double standards by requiring of Israel a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation, that is anti-Semitism. And we have seen that in the United Nations.”

Mr. Morrison expressed love and respect for the Jewish community, adding he was “deeply sorry” that they had been confronted with “threats and even hatred” in this “free country.”

“Oct. 7 we must remember. Oct. 7 we must never forget. When we say never again, we say never again in relation to Oct. 7. Because on Oct. 7 the free world failed in its promise that there would be a never again,” he said.

“We said there would be never again after the Holocaust, but in one single day, an atrocity was committed on the people of Israel on a level that we had not seen the Holocaust.”

On Oct. 7, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds of hostages, including women and children.

Mr. Morrison, who has visited Israel since the Hamas attacks with former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, expressed concern about rising anti-Semitism in Australia and globally.

“At the heart of never again is the commitment to be extremely vigilant in the struggle against anti-Semitism, which brings us all here together today,” he said.

“To our Jewish friends here today, we honour you, we honour you as fellow Australians for your contribution to our shared Commonwealth.”

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has recently expressed concern about the “speed of deterioration in Gaza,” which was “unprecedented.”

“Nearly three in four people are drinking from contaminated water sources. Communicable diseases are on the rise. A reported 1.7 million people are displaced, many sheltering in UNRWA facilities,” the agency posted on X.

Pause on Funding

The United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and multiple other nations have recently pulled funding from this U.N. agency amid allegations from Israel that its employees were involved in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed on Feb. 17 that the government was yet to hear back from Israel since requesting more evidence and was looking to gain confidence to restore funding to the UNRWA.

“Not as yet, to my knowledge, but I would make the point about UNRWA that there are two irrefutable facts in relation to UNRWA. The first is it’s critical. It’s the only organisation that has the infrastructure and personnel to provide assistance into a region which is experiencing a devastating humanitarian crisis in the midst of this conflict,” Ms. Wong said during a press conference in Perth.

“The second is that serious allegations have been made, and I note that UNRWA itself, when these allegations were made public, described them as serious allegations against UNRWA staff and itself said that they would be terminating contracts and launching an investigation.

“Now, we obviously have previously increased our funding for UNRWA, and we are keen to work with both the organisation and with Japan and other like-mindeds who have paused funding to work out how we can gain the confidence to restore funding and we will continue to do that work.”

This followed Ms. Wong revealing in early February she had directed Australia’s humanitarian coordinator to work with UNRWA and like-minded partners to thoroughly investigate the matter to restore confidence.

An Israeli document shared with UNRWA and international officials alleged that 12 UNRWA workers were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Seven were said to have stormed Israeli territory; one helped steal a soldier’s body, and another participated in a kidnapping. Ten were listed with ties to Hamas and one with an Islamic Jihad militant group, while two of them have now been killed, the document said.

The relief agency terminated the contracts of involved staff members and launched an investigation to establish the truth.

Senator Backs Morrison’s Concerns

Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham expressed concerns the U.N. was subjected to the votes and wishes of dictatorships with little in common with Australia when asked if he agreed with Mr. Morrison on ABC News.

“I think sadly, tragically we have seen in the instance of UNRWA, the identification of individuals who were involved in the Oct. 7 attack and more who appear to have supported those attacks,” the senator said.

He noted there was a longer history of questions being asked on how that U.N. body was being operated, which appeared to “have led to extremist views and deeply anti-Semitic views within that.”

Further pressed by the ABC, he said, “I think there are cases there in terms of that U.N. organisation. Elsewhere the U.N. is subject to the votes and wishes of its member states.”

“And sadly all too often we do see a majority of those member states, often autocracies, dictatorships and other countries with little to have values in common with Australia who take very anti-Israel and anti-Semitic positions.”