FOI access to an exchange of letters between PM Albanese and Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, was denied on the grounds that it would “damage bilateral relations.” Yet “Albo’s warm letter” was widely shared by Australia’s publicly subsidised Israel lobby groups.
The scam is that the letter was leaked on its way to the post office or from a diplomatic bag and ended up with the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA).
The provenance and content of Albanese’s leaked letter appear to have been discussed in early July 2022, when Mark Leibler (the leader of the Australia Israel Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) met with Herzog in Jerusalem. It was reported that Herzog told Leibler “how delighted he was to receive a very warm letter” from the newly elected Prime Minister of Australia.
The next day (5 July) the ZFA released the full text of the letter, and used a quote from the letter, on its social media platforms. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies got into the act a few days laters (8 July) and posted excerpts on their socials.
One Australian Jewish media outlet, the Australian Jewish News, described it as “Albo’s warm letter”.
Who leaked it, and why?
There are only a few valid sources for the leaked letter, either the Israeli government or the Australian government. Paradoxically, while Albanese’s letter leaked, Herzog’s original letter appears to have been tightly held and has not surfaced.
Neither Albanese’s office (PMO) nor his department (PMC) seem concerned about the leak – or about getting to the bottom of it. We sought confirmation that neither the PMO nor PMC leaked the letter, if the leak would be pursued, and if the Israeli government would be contacted about the leak.
All our questions were ignored. The Israel Embassy was equally schtum on the matter.
As Sir Humphrey Appleby once opined,
the Ship of State is the only ship that leaks from the top.
The letter itself does not appear to reveal any secrets. It was merely part of diplomatic protocol following a new government coming to power, the head of state of a foreign country congratulating and seeking to establish a rapport with the incoming Australian prime minister.
It was a love(ly) letter, though.
Jommy Tee is a long-time career public servant, having worked in the policy development field for 25+ years as well as an independent researcher interested in politics, current affairs, and Nordic noir.