Motives Questioned Behind Controversial Palestinian Visa Approvals

Australia's Opposition Leader Peter Dutton during media interviews at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 15, 2024. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

The Jewish community has backed Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s comments regarding visa approvals for Palestinians, questioning whether Labor’s actions are politically motivated.

The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) has speculated that the move, which Dutton has termed “unprecedented,” may be an attempt by Labor to recoup votes in Western Sydney amid a push for a Muslim voting bloc.

AJA CEO Robert Gregory emphasised the importance of prioritising Australia’s safety over politics.

“Sometimes in the interests of national security, it is necessary to discard political correctness,” he said in a statement.

“Keeping out people who may pose a security threat is a no-brainer.”

Gregory said that with polls showing the majority of Palestinians supporting Hamas or terrorist actions, bringing such people to Australia would be “madness.”

“It’s not a coincidence that nearby Arab countries are not taking in people from Gaza,” he said.

“It’s absurd to expect that adequate security checks can be done in a war zone, which is governed by a proscribed terrorist organisation. Australia does not have staff on the ground in Gaza.”

Gregory said many members of the Jewish community were concerned and that he believed most Australians would want to put safety first.

AJA President David Adler said there were ways to provide foreign assistance without putting Australia at risk.

He challenged Labor’s intentions, particularly in light of the Muslim voting bloc’s efforts to influence key Labor seats in the next federal election.

“Perhaps Labor is trying to shore up votes in Western Sydney, but this shouldn’t be done at the expense of Australia’s national security,” he said.

‘Country at Risk’: Dutton

Dutton voiced his concerns on The Today Show where he said Australia needed to make decisions in the country’s best interests.

The opposition leader said Australia had a generous and effective humanitarian program where migrants could be checked before arrival.

But Dutton raised alarm over the recent arrivals from Gaza.

“In some cases, they haven’t even done face-to-face interviews and that is without precedent,” he said.

“Thirteen hundred people have come here on tourist visas, again, without precedent.”

These decisions regarding visas for Palestinians were made under MP Andrew Giles, who has since lost the immigration portfolio in Labor’s recent cabinet reshuffle.

Dutton said surveys had shown many Palestinians support Hamas, the listed terrorist organisation behind the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

“Could you imagine if we were proposing to bring people in who were sympathetic to another listed terrorist organisation, like Al-Qaeda or ISIL or ISIS?” he said.

“It’s completely unacceptable. And the government’s trying to patch this up, but they are putting our country at risk.

“We can take people in a measured, responsible way, that’s not what they’ve done.”