As protests, outrage and horror ripple the world over, one is left wondering whether Labor’s mask of performative centrism is worth maintaining.
The war in Gaza is politically complex in that it requires moral clarity — a clarity our politicians, by nature, do not possess.
The past two weeks have seen Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong side decidedly with Israel, using couched language and neutered proclamations to afford themselves enough wiggle room for condemnation if or when it comes to that.
Despite passing a national platform to recognise Palestine in 2021, the ALP has spent the better part of its time in office softening and obfuscating its approach to the matter, with Albanese, Wong and co delaying Palestinian recognition as recently as August. It is a somewhat cynical move from Albanese, who co-founded the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine back in the day — a move as calculated and nakedly ultra-cautious as just about every other one made by this prime minister, and this government, which hinges on walking away when the going gets rough.
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