IDF Criticises Australian Mayor for Blocking Proposal to Fly Israeli Flag

Sydney Mayor Clover Moore said lighting up Sydney Town Hall in blue and white and flying the Israeli flag would be ‘divisive.’

The Sydney Town Hall clocktower (L) is shown following the completion of a 17-month restoration on Sept. 3, 2013. Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has delivered a sharp rebuke of Sydney Mayor Clover Moore’s decision to block a proposal to light up the iconic Town Hall and fly the Israeli flag in solidarity.

Ms. Moore said green-lighting the proposals meant taking a side in the Israel-Hamas war and claimed it would, therefore, be a “divisive” move.

She also criticised the state government’s decision to light up the Sydney Opera House in Israel’s colours.

People with Israeli flags watch the Opera House while it is illuminated in blue to show solidarity with Israel in Sydney on Oct. 9, 2023. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images

Her decision was criticised by the international spokesperson for the IDF, Jonathon Conricus, who said good people need to take a side in the Israel-Hamas conflict and stand for what they believe in.

“If you stand with an organisation that sent 1,000 or more armed men into a sovereign country in order to execute, burn alive, rape, butcher, mutilate, and behead civilians ... if you decide that you want to take a stand and take a side and you’re supporting that, that’s where you stand and those are your morals,” he told ABC radio.

“If you want to be on the side of the terrorists or on the side of Israel, it is your choice.”

Thousands of people took to the streets on Oct. 21 in Sydney and other capital cities across Australia in pro-Palestinian rallies—tens of thousands more mobilised across the world.

Protestors called for Israel to end its air strikes on Gaza and accused the country of committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

But Mr. Conricus said the people joining these protests were either “uninformed” or “filled with hate” towards Israel.

“We will not target, we do not target the civilian population. They are not our enemy,” he said.

“And to be clear, we have told the civilian population to evacuate out of north Gaza out of a concern for their safety.”

He noted that Israel now has “hundreds of thousands” of internally displaced Israelis who have been evacuated out of danger zones for their safety.

“Same thing for Palestinians. We advertise our intentions ahead of time, which ... isn’t a very smart military thing to do—to tell your enemy, what you’re going to do and where you’re going to operate,” he said.

“But we do that, despite that it’s dangerous because we don’t want the civilians to be in the middle of what’s going to be a very tough combat.”

In addition to personal safety, Mr. Conricus also called on the Palestinian people in Gaza to evacuate so the Hamas terrorists would not be able to use them as human shields, cannon fodder, or tools for their political purposes.

A picture taken from the southern Israeli city of Sderot on Oct. 20, 2023, shows smoke ascending over the northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli strike. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

He also reiterated that Israel was defending itself against a conflict that Hamas terrorists started.

“If Hamas were to come out of their hiding places that they hide underneath the civilians ... return our hostages, all 212 of them, and surrender unconditionally, then the war would end,” Mr. Conricus said.

Australia Will Not Ban Pro-Palestine Rallies Like France

About 15,000 people reportedly attended the pro-Palestine march in Sydney.

Alex Ryvchin, CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, condemned a sign that was held during the march, which read: “Israel is taking its final breathes.”

“The public has been shown what this movement is really about. Their actions are inciting more hatred in Australia and further fracturing our fragile social cohesion,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

It comes after a smaller rally outside the Sydney Opera House on Oct. 9 where hundreds of people were caught on camera chanting “Gas the Jews” and burning the Israeli flag.

France has banned pro-Palestine rallies and threatened to deport foreign nationals who breach these bans.

The Australian Labor government has not committed to banning pro-Palestine rallies, saying that it was committed to upholding its values of diversity and inclusion, and making sure people felt comfortable and safe with expressing their faith and heritage.

“While we respect the right for anyone in Australia to protest peacefully, violence will not be tolerated,” a spokesperson for the Australian Department of Home Affairs told The Epoch Times.

“We urge communities in Australia to remain respectful and we strongly condemn anyone who incites violence and hatred within our community.”

The spokesperson added it will consider deportation for anyone who engages in criminal activity or fails to meet the character requirements of their visa.

“The Australian government will continue to act decisively to protect the community from the risk of harm posed by individuals who choose to engage in criminal activity or behaviour of concern, including visa cancellation where appropriate,” the spokesperson said.

The federal Opposition has called on the government to cancel the visas of non-citizens in the country supporting Hamas.

“People with that hate in their mind and their heart don’t have any place in our society. If they were non-citizen, and the police should be doing this work now, their visas should be before the minister, and on character grounds, they should have their visas cancelled,” said Opposition Leader Peter Dutton on Oct. 11.