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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Benita Kolovos Victorian state correspondent

Israel-Gaza war looms large over Labor’s hold on Melbourne seats of Macnamara and Wills

The three candidates with scenes from the electorate
Labor MP for Macnamara Josh Burns is facing challenges from the Greens’ Sonya Semmens and the Liberals’ Benson Saulo. Composite: Guardian design

In two Melbourne electorates, just 15km apart, Labor finds itself under attack from both sides of a conflict nearly 14,000km away.

In the bayside seat of Macnamara, home to Victoria’s largest Jewish community, the party has been criticised for its response to antisemitism and a perceived failure to stand firmly with Israel amid the war in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023.

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