The bold display of Iranian military drones over the holy city of Jerusalem symbolises the weakness of the Albanese government. Following Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s weak stance on terrorism, she is complicit in the diplomatic climate that emboldened a direct attack on Israel where any counterattack is unlikely to include support from Israel’s allies.

Following one of Australia’s most prosperous periods in history, the Albanese government has managed to increase the cost of living and reduce our sense of security in less than one political term. Further, our government has divided us along cultural lines and perpetuated a self-hating attitude towards all things that are good about our liberal democratic and Judaeo-Christian traditions and heritage.

Israel is part and parcel of our heritage, both political and religious.

The attack on Jerusalem is an attack on our very traditions.

Karl Marx referred to religion as ‘the opiate of the masses’. Religion consoled the working classes and prevented them from rising in revolution against their capitalist oppressors. Never mind that socialist regimes have been the most brutal and oppressive in human history.

Nevertheless, removing religion has always been part of the socialist agenda. But never did I expect it to reach the point where it seriously threatened our national security.

Several neglected issues have come to a head now the ongoing proxy war has moved into direct action by Iran against Israel.

According to the Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, Iran-sponsored Houthi rebels:

‘Continue to threaten the safety of seafarers, navigational rights and freedoms, and international commerce and maritime security… [and] Australia will continue to work with our international partners to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.’

As part of our response against the Houthis, Australia’s 16-person commitment to the US-led coalition operation was increased by up to seven more personnel as part of Operation Hydranth.

That’s 23 people to help thwart attempts by Houthi rebels who operate in concert with Palestinian strikes against our ally, Israel. The Houthi attacks have impacted Australian supply chains, including BHP. Around 2 per cent of GDP or some $50 billion per year is spent on defence and we can only send 23 people?

Australia is a leaner not a lifter in the Middle East. Even Jordan, a predominantly Muslim country, has done more for the defence of Israel than Australia.

On the home front, Australia has been soft on antisemitism to the point where even the Minister for Defence stated that Jewish Australians do not feel safe.

Pro-Palestinian protestors have been given the benefit of every doubt while at the same time having no accountability imposed by law. The police have not helped in these situations.

Further, Australia’s lack of a position on Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas has been cowardly. If Australian hostages were being held, I would expect our military to strike and strike again until the enemy was brought to their knees, returned the hostages, laid down their arms and surrendered. To pretend otherwise is to be an automaton devoid of all sense of humanity.

Yet our government effectively appeases and sympathises with the proscribed terrorist organisation, Hamas, and is now complicit in enabling the diplomatic preconditions for Iran’s attack on Israel.

And Senator Wong’s call for a two-state solution as ‘the only hope to break the endless cycle of violence’ in the Middle East is as wrong-headed as it is driven by domestic politics.

The Prime Minister has been just as weak. In responding to Iran’s attack on our ally, Mr Albanese only had this to say:

‘Australia continues to support regional security, including that of Israel.’

Hardly statesman-like support for a liberal democratic ally.

But what is at stake here is not about what is being done, but rather what is being done by omission.

In Acts 3:12, when Peter healed the lame man near Solomon’s Porch, the people were amazed, and Peter said:

‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?’

By omitting the following passages, we may well have enabled the beast to walk and given it the space to grow if we leave it there. But the next passage provides accountability for Peter’s actions, thus Acts 3:13-15 reads:

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate when he was determined to let Him go.

But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

By abandoning our traditions – while bearing witness – we have lost our ability to see right from wrong. The passages above and their location on the porch (a place of open discussion) go to the heart of our Judaeo-Christian heritage, something that has been undermined for the last several decades in our education system and increasingly in our politics.

Are we again complicit in releasing a murderer and killing the Prince of life?

Perhaps not yet, but our own government is now our biggest national security threat.

This ANZAC Day, as we honour the men and women of Australia who have defended our way of life, spare a thought for our Judaeo-Christian heritage and our liberal democratic ally fighting the good fight in the Middle East.

And beware the enemy within.

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