In my last two articles, I have been highly critical of the Australian Government with regards to its treatment of Israel and the Australian Jewish community, particularly since October 7. Well, finally, we have positive news from the Land Down Under, with recent reports indicating that the Australian Government has expelled the Iranian Ambassador. Reportedly, this is the first time since World War II that Australia has taken steps to expel a foreign ambassador. Since this is quite a rare diplomatic move, let’s take a moment to understand the events which led to these actions.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is one of the most feared and powerful organisations in Iran. Established after the 1979 Islamic revolution, the IRGC operates separate to Iran’s traditional military. It is an elite force numbering approximately 150,000 soldiers who are extremely loyal to the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Because Iran has only limited military and diplomatic powers, the IRGC is tasked with launching criminal and terrorist activities against Israel and its allies in an effort to artificially inflate its capabilities beyond actual range.
The impotence of Iran’s military was clearly seen in the recent war with Israel and although the Iranians clearly challenged Israel with their ballistic missile arsenal, they were largely powerless to repel the vastly superior IDF. For the Iranians, asymmetric warfare is clearly the preferred option. Not only do they use this system of warfare to introduce, where required, a degree of plausible deniability, as I said earlier, it artificially inflates their capability because of the fact it brings psychological trauma through terrorism and guerilla tactics.
For many years, it was this inflation of capability through the use of proxies and the threat of foreign terrorist activities that made many Western nations exercise caution when considering whether or not to directly confront the Iranian regime. Now that Israel has largely subdued Iranian proxies and, with US assistance, has dealt a severe blow to the Iranian nuclear program, it is clear that the Iranians had not only fooled the world, they fooled themselves as well – they are nowhere near as strong as they claim.
Nevertheless, their hatred of Israel outweighs any reservations they have over their own limitations. As such, it is likely that their use of asymmetric warfare, particularly against soft Jewish targets on foreign soil, will continue. It is here that we introduce the events which led to the Iranian ambassador being expelled.
In 1927, Harry Gilovitz moved from Israel to Sydney. In 1933, he married a lady named Faye and with a shared passion for food and the need for kosher catering in Sydney, they started a catering business in the 1940s with a focus on blending Middle Eastern, European and Asian flavours. After their daughter, Judith, and her husband, Malcolm Lewis, joined the business, a retail shop was established in 1970. The location was Bondi in Sydney and the shop was named “Lewis’ Continental Kitchen”.
After 50+ years in operation, in the early hours of 20 October, 2024, fire destroyed the shop. As it became clear that the fire was no accident, Ms Lewis struggled to understand who would target them. In an interview at the time, Ms Lewis dismissed speculation that the attack was motivated by antisemitism, pointing out that “Lewis” is a very common name. But what added a layer of intrigue was that prior to that incident, the nearby Curly Lewis Brewing Company (with no Jewish connection) was set ablaze, not once, but twice. Clearly the name “Lewis” meant something to somebody. Criminals may be wicked, but many are not smart. It has since come to light that their attack was supposed to be directed at Lewis’ Continental Kitchen all along. Though we may sometimes be thankful for the ineptitude of criminals, I am sure the owners of Curly Lewis Brewing Company are not.
The second incident relates to a fire at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December of 2024. The original part of the synagogue was built in 1965 with hands that survived the Holocaust. The attack was a sobering reminder that the ancient evil of Jew-hatred, thought to have been buried with the defeat of Nazism, was still flickering in the hearts and minds of wicked men. Even though some sought to downplay both incidents as isolated attacks committed by either criminal or antisemitic elements, security services in Britain and Sweden recently warned that Tehran was using criminal proxies to carry out its violent attacks, with British intelligence services admitting they had disrupted 20 Iran-linked plots since 2022. A dozen other countries also warned about a surge in assassination, kidnapping, and harassment plots by Iranian intelligence services.
After 220 law enforcement officials undertook approximately 50,000 hours of investigations, Australian intelligence personnel came to the conclusion that both attacks were linked directly to Iran. The Iranians were careful to try and hide their involvement, using local criminal proxies and “cut outs,” an intelligence term for intermediaries. However, thanks to the tenacious work of our security services, a definitive link was established. In response to the report, the Australian government ejected the Iranian ambassador. Although it was made clear that the expelled Iranian diplomats had no involvement in the plots, a strong message had to be sent. Prime Minister Albanese also announced that Australian diplomats will be called home from Iran and that Australia will take steps to list the IRGC as a terror organisation.
At present, it remains heartbreaking to witness such hatred of the Jews. But it will not always be like this. There is coming a glorious day in which the people of the world will honour the Jew. Of course, I speak of the Millennial Kingdom and Zechariah 8:23 in particular: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” That word “grasp” means to grab hold of something that you must not let go of, while the words “ten men” is a Hebrew expression for “many men”. At present, many men surround the Jew and shout “go away!”. In the Millennial Kingdom, many men will surround a Jew, grasp him and beg him to “let us go with you!”.
When Messiah returns, antisemitism will be a thing of the past. As the King of kings and Lord of lords institutes the Kingdom, all people will be pro-Israel! Isaiah 49:22-23: “Thus says the LORD GOD: ‘Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, and set up My standard for the peoples; they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders; kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers; they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD, for they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.‘”
Do you see how different the world will be? Not only will the Gentile nations gladly facilitate the return of all Jews to the Promised Land, but kings and queens will serve and support God’s people. That blessed future time will see a complete transformation in the relationship between Israel and the nations. Those who were once oppressors become caretakers. Now that is a world I am looking forward to.
