Senator Jim Molan, who passed away on January 16, is being rightly eulogised for his life of service to Australia, but he also leaves a legacy as a strong advocate for Australia-Israel ties, a defender of Israel’s right to exist in peace and security, and a true friend of the Jewish community.

Senator Molan was a man of great principle and courage who provided distinguished and dedicated service to our country in a variety of important roles, inside and outside parliament. He was a thoughtful, intelligent and unfailingly kind and generous person, and we at the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) were privileged to work with him on a number of occasions. 

He was closely involved with the Beersheva Dialogue, participating on several occasions in this annual strategic exchange between Australia and Israel, including at the one in Israel during the events marking the 100th anniversary of the historic battle of Beersheva. Senator Molan also participated in our defence and security dialogues that brought strategists and analysts from Australia and Southeast Asia together with their Israeli and Middle Eastern counterparts.

 As a retired general who led coalition forces during the height of the second Iraq war, Senator Molan held unparalleled and unique insights into the complex defence landscape in the Middle East. This, in turn, served as one cornerstone of his support for Israel.

Emblematic of his views regarding Israel’s security, Molan took part in a multi-national inquiry into Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war of 2014. The inquiry’s report defended Israel’s actions in that war. Reviewing Israel’s efforts to protect Gazan civilians, Molan memorably told ABC at the time that “as someone who has practically applied the laws of armed conflict in modern warfare, I was very impressed.”

Molan added that Israel’s military had acted with restraint in the war and had properly investigated incidents where Palestinian civilians had been killed in the fighting.

AIJAC conveys our deepest condolences to the family and many friends of Senator Molan, a great Australian who will be sorely missed.

Dr Colin Rubenstein, Executive Director, AIJAC