KEY POINTS
- Labor faces a backlash from Arab and Muslim communities over the Hamas-Israel war.
- Muslim and Arab leaders say they feel "betrayed" by the government's response.
- An experienced pollster has played down the impact of the issue at the 2025 election.
Labor is facing a backlash from Australia's Arab and Muslim communities over its response to the Hamas-Israel war, with some claiming they will never vote for the party again.
SBS News has spoken to a number of community members, including leaders, who say Labor's reluctance to directly criticise Israel over its bombardment of the densely-populated Gaza Strip will have consequences at the ballot box.
The federal government has voiced its support for Israel as it responds to , but has stressed its obligation to protect civilian lives.
Penny Wong has defended Israel's right to defend itself, but stressed that it has an obligation to protect civilians. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Randa Kattan, chief executive of Arab Council Australia, told SBS News the Israeli-Palestinian conflict transcended religion in the Arab community, saying: "We're all Palestinians at a time like this".
Kattan was frustrated by politicians routinely making private assurances of support for Palestinians which they did not repeat publicly.
"It means nothing. If you want to tell me in a meeting, or over a phone call, that you're feeling for us, this is not good enough," she said.
"If you feel that you support us, please do [it] out there in public ... [The government] is unequivocal in its support to Israel. There has been no recognition of the massacres that are occurring in Palestine."
Nearly 300,000 Australians were either born in one of the 22 Arab League nations, or have a parent who was. Over 3 per cent of Australia's population — roughly 815,000 people — are Muslim.
'It will hurt both parties'
Adel Salman, president of the Islamic Council of Victoria, told SBS News the response in his community could be summed up in three words: "extreme disappointment" and "dismay".
"[Labor] should be very concerned. This is such a deep issue. It's a visceral issue for Arabs of Muslim and Christian backgrounds and for [those of] no faith," he said.
The federal government has repeatedly called for restraint to protect civilian lives, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Wednesday calling for a "humanitarian pause" to allow aid into Gaza.
Wong has also insisted Israel must adhere to international law as it responds to Hamas' indiscriminate attack on 7 October, which killed over 1,400 Israelis.
"We acknowledge the terrible suffering of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip ... This is precisely why the government has called for a humanitarian pause," she told Senate estimates on Thursday.
Ed Husic has accused Israel of collective punishment — a war crime under international law. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
"Israel’s right to defend its civilians cannot equate to the annihilation of Palestinian civilians," Senator Fatima Payman said.
And ministers Ed Husic and Anne Aly — Labor's two Muslim frontbenchers — , accusing Israel of carrying out collective punishment in the densely-populated Gaza Strip, where its airstrikes have reportedly killed more than 5,000 Palestinians.
Collective punishment is a war crime under international law.
Their comments were not echoed by Wong or Treasurer Jim Chalmers, with the latter "get into parsing the language used by our colleagues".
But Kattan said Labor's response, at a state and federal level, hadn't been enough to convince the Arab-Australian population that it had "stood by" the community.
"What the community sees is a total betrayal. The way they would see it is that it will hurt the both parties at the election," she said.
Independents the main threat to Labor, says pollster
Despite the anger towards Labor, such voters shifting to the Coalition appears unlikely.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has flagged the possibility of Australian munitions being sent to Israel, demanded Albanese visit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and invited Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon to address the Coalition party room this month.
His deputy, Sussan Ley, has also described Wong's call for restraint as "disgraceful", despite a prior . That included telling parliament: "It is as if the Palestinians have been airbrushed out of existence".
Three children wander around the rubble of ruined buildings that were destroyed by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Source: Getty / Youssef Alzanoun
Redbridge director Kos Samaras has long stressed that voters prioritise their own interest at federal elections, particularly as they grapple with a cost-of-living crisis.
Samaras accepted that Labor's response to the conflict would make it "a little harder" to convince Arab and Muslim voters in 2025, but played down its potential electoral impact.
"It could resonate in some pockets around the country, but I wouldn't say it will be quite as seismic as some people might think," he said.
While the Greens have taken the most pro-Palestinian stance of Australia's main political parties, Samaras said their primary votes would likely be redirected to Labor regardless.
But he described the May 2022 result in the Sydney seat of Fowler, where prominent Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally, as a "canary in the coalmine" for the government.
Samaras described the election of independent Dai Le as a 'canary in the coalmine' for Labor. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
"The movement away from Labor in these highly diverse electorates has been underway for some time, so in regards to this [Israel-Hamas] issue, it may expedite that trend. But the question to be answered is: Will independents stand?" he said.
Albanese's Palestinian approach cost Voice votes, says Islamic leader
Salman described Palestinian rights as the sole issue which united "the hearts and minds of Muslims around Australia", but said the impact of Labor's stance on its voter base was complex.
"I think people are feeling very hurt now, and so you're probably hearing quite an emotional response. But people when people come to vote, they'll be voting for many reasons. And if you look at the alternative major parties, what they're saying isn't necessarily that much better."
Albanese visited Sydney's Lakemba Mosque on Friday 6 October, urging prayer-goers to back the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Hamas launched its attack the following day, and Albanese's response to the unfolding crisis drew the ire of many Australian Muslims.
The Australian Electoral Commission does not record what messages are written on ballot papers — other than to categorise them as Yes, No, or ineligible.
But Salman said he was aware of a number of people who had used the Voice ballot paper as a way to "express their feelings" on Labor's response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"I've heard people say that that was like a protest vote, because people were so upset," he said.
"I think many Muslims were very happy to support the Voice, because they felt there's a question of justice and that aligns with their values.
"But I think also some many Muslims were so dismayed by what they were hearing from our politicians that out of protest they were ... writing things on the referendum card like 'Free Palestine'."
