Joanna Panagopoulos The Australian October 30, 2023
Tony Abbott has praised Malcolm Turnbull over a joint statement signed by six former PMs condemning the “cruel and murderous” Hamas and standing in solidarity with Israel. “You don’t often find Tony Abbott singing Malcolm Turnbull’s praises. But this was really Malcolm’s great work here,” Mr Abbott told 2GB’s Chris O’Keefe on Monday. He said his understanding of the genesis of the statement was that former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg approached the former Prime Ministers’ to ask if they would make a joint statement and then drafted a letter.
“Malcolm said quite suitably, look if it’s going to come from all of the former Prime Minister’s it should be drafted by one of us. And Malcolm then drafted the words. We all had our say, there were one of two minor amendments made. And I think Malcolm’s done a wonderful job and I think it’s a beautiful, beautiful statement that I’m certainly proud to be part of,” he said.
Asked why Paul Keating wouldn’t sign on, Mr Abbott said “You’d have to ask Paul”.
“I honestly don’t know. I suppose it’s a little disappointing but I’m sure he has his reasons. And I’m just very, very pleased the rest of us stood for human decency and in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people.”
The letter reads: “There is no more tenaciously evil race hatred than antisemitism.”
Mr Abbott told 2GB that “Anti-Zionism is to all practical effects, it’s anti-Semitism, it’s Jewish race hate. There should be no place for that in any civilised society, and there should be no place for that in any decent human heart.”
He said “I think we do need to take sides”.
“It is pretty cut and dry. Obviously Israel has got to do everything it can to minimise civilian casualties and if possible avoid civilian casualties. But I think Israel is perfectly entitled to do everything it reasonably can … to stamp out Hamas because Hamas is a death cult.
“Look at what the Hamas terrorists did inside Israel. And what Hamas is doing inside Gaza is effectively using the civilian population as a human shield. Now Israel has a long track-record of doing its best to protect people and I’m sure they’re not going to abandon their decency in this.”
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1/ Malcolm Turnbull, right, and Tony Abbott shake hands during the official opening of the Sir John Monash Centre at Villers-Bretonneux in 2018.
Comment by Nelle -Tony Abbott is a man among men to be able to put aside what Turnbull did to him and stand beside him to support Israel should be a bridge too far but not for the man who we elected to be PM and the best one we have had
Nelle's journey 