Attorney-General’s mission to Israel a ‘positive step’

The head of a key Jewish group has welcomed news that Labor’s most senior Jewish MP is heading to Israel as a “positive step” amid strained tensions between the Albanese and Netanyahu governments.

Relations between Canberra and Israel hit a new low at the end of 2024 after a spate of anti-Semitic incidents in Australia’s biggest cities.

The incidents came against a backdrop of repeated calls from the Albanese government for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel is waging a casualty-heavy war.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, the son of a Holocaust survivor, has managed to avoid much of the fallout and retained good standing within Australia’s Jewish community.

Co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin said on Tuesday Mr Dreyfus’ trip “will be well received”.

“Mark Dreyfus is obviously a high-ranking member of the federal government, and I’m sure that his trip will be well-received by the Israel government,” Mr Ryvchin told Sky News.

“But ultimately, actions speak louder than words.”

He went on to criticise Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s decision not to visit sites where Hamas committed atrocities during its October 7 attack in 2023.

“That was really a very bruising thing that was done, and that really shattered the relationship to a large degree,” Mr Ryvchin said.

“So, this is a positive from the Attorney-General, from the government, but the actions that follow are far more important.”

However, Senator Wong has had a hard time managing the diplomatic turbulence wrought by Australia’s position on the war in Gaza.

It was laid bare by a “tense” phone call with her Israeli counterpart in December.

Earlier, Anthony Albanese said Mr Dreyfus “is an appropriate person to visit Israel”.

“We have people regularly visit our friends, and Mark Dreyfus is visiting,” the Prime Minister told reporters.

“He’ll be there for around about a week.”

Mr Dreyfus was due to visit Israel in October last year but cancelled after Iran launched a barrage of missiles.

A spokesperson for Mr Dreyfus earlier confirmed to NewsWire that he was rescheduling the trip.

“The Attorney-General is seeking to reschedule his October 2024 visit to Israel which had to be cancelled,” a spokesperson for Mr Dreyfus said.

“Further details will be released in due course.”

As Attorney-General, he holds ministerial responsibility for Australia’s federal police and intelligence agencies, making him key to a recently announced multi-agency operation to crack down on anti-Semitism.

The operation was launched after the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apportioned part of the blame for the attack to the Albanese government.

He accused Labor of taking an “extreme anti-Israel position” that was “impossible to separate” from the attack, which is being investigated as a terrorist incident.