AARON PATRICK: Hamas lost the war but is winning the propaganda battle against Israel

The large protest march across Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday was a demonstration of popular support for the Palestinian cause that may have serious consequences for Australian Jews.

An estimated 90,000 people endured one of the harbour city’s most miserable weekends this year to protest against the war. Some of the leaders at the front, holding a “March for Humanity” banner, hate Israel and will never concede its right to self defence.

Such a large gathering, though, was primarily motivated by the images of starvation, desperation and almost two years of ceaseless violence in a war Israel did not begin but is determined to finish.

There was no similarly sized protest after October 7, 2023, when some 1200 Israelis were murdered, raped and taken hostage by Hamas, which hoped to spark a broader war that would lead to Israel’s destruction.

Losing support

Through its fierce response, which seems to have included creating the circumstances where food and fuel supplies to Gaza were restricted, Israel has lost public support across the Western world.

As a consequence, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Government finds itself diplomatically isolated, with the crucial exception of the US. Britain, France, Canada and other important countries have bowed to internal pressure and plan to recognise a Palestinian state, a symbolic but important step.

Hamas, crippled but not wiped out, lost the war but is winning the propaganda contest by mobilising a global army of TikTok warriors. Sunday’s march in Sydney, which was matched by a more violent affair in Melbourne, vindicates Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s and Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s gradual shift away from Israel over the past year.

They have not gone as far towards recognition as the three founding NATO powers, by placing conditions on recognition that make such a step improbable. But, in a country with some eight times as many Muslims as Jews, the Albanese Government’s demands on Mr Netanyahu to wage a more humanitarian war now look electorally astute.

Losing supporters

For the 100,000 Jews of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and the rest of Australia, the latest developments are miserable. They never sought war. They have no desire to kill Palestinians. Many are supporters of the arts, an industry now at the centre of anti-Israel sentiment. They fear for their physical safety. Armed guards are required to protect their synagogues and schools.

They are retreating more to their own communities, fearing Australia is no longer the welcoming, safe and tolerant society they assumed it would always be. The outlook is not promising.

Sunday’s powerful display of hostility, organised by the far left, means that important supporters of the Jewish community, including NSW Premier Chris Minns, are less likely to visibly fight on their behalf. The police, judiciary and media will feel society’s anger. Although independent, they are not oblivious to public opinion.

Such are the consequences of war. Whatever the legal, moral or military justifications for Mr Netanyahu’s decisions, the longer he allows starvation in Gaza to persist, the worse life will be for Jews around the world.