Down Under, "Palestine" Features In Election Campaign

With an Australian federal election due on 7th September, both major parties have begun making a bid for the Muslim vote, with Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Joe Hockey, the Opposition's treasury spokesman,addressing a crowd outside Sydney's Lakemba Mosque during Eid celebrations marking the close of Ramadan.

Writes Mr Carr, inter alia, on his blog (which contains the photo at left):

'This morning I had the pleasure of speaking at the Eid al-Adha celebration at Lakemba Mosque.

I said that this celebration is a reminder of the important role of Islam in the lives of many Australians.

Australia is home to nearly half a million Muslims and Islam is our country’s third largest religion (behind Christianity and Buddhism).

Australian Muslims contribute strongly to Australian society.

The Australian Government funds a multitude of inter-faith, cultural overlap and community development activities overseas ....

It is important to emphasise that Australia has long-standing links with the Arab world, especially in trade and education  ....

Our formal links with regional organisations are growing:

• I participated in the second Australia- Gulf Cooperation Council dialogue in New York last month;

• we have a formal dialogue with the Arab League;

• we have a framework of cooperation with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation;

• we have senior officials talks with the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, and Iraq; and

• we have agreed to hold these talks with Libya, Oman, Algeria and Morocco.

We are also supporting the democratic transition of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Iraq.

It is these links that we must remind ourselves of in the face of the efforts of extremist minorities to incite violence or create gaps between cultures.'

Nothing about Israel and the Palestinian Arabs there, as far as I can see.  But, to quote SBS (hat tip: reader Rita:

'Bob Carr told the crowd he's proud of the Labor Government's support in the United Nations for lifting the status of the Palestinians in the UN.

Senator Carr says all Israeli settlements on Palestinian land are illegal under international law and should cease.

"I am very, very proud that Australia's hand did not go up against increased Palestinian status in the general assembly of the United Nations.

That's something you ought to think about. I've been to Ramallah, I've spoken to the Palestinian leadership and we support their aspirations to have a Palestinian state in the context of a Middle Eastern peace and that means respect for the right of Israel to exist."'

As for Mr Hockey, a Christian of Palestinian and Armenian parentage, he

'told the crowd all Australians should be proud of their heritage.

He says he's proud that his father was born in Palestine and came to Australia as a migrant in 1948 and said if the Coalition wins government his Arabic heritage will earn him a unique place in Australian history. 

"We believe in the future of Australia. If there is a change of government on the seventh of September it will be the very first time in Australian history that someone of Arab heritage has taken a leadership position in Australia," Mr Hockey says.

"And that is a significant event, significant event for Australia and it is a significant event for the Arab community and that will only come about with a change of government on the seventh of September."'

See here for acerbic commentary by a well-known Aussie Jewish voice,as well as here.

"How Will I Explain This On The Steps Of The Mosque At Lakemba?": Australian Foreign Minister Carr's Stance On Israel Condemned

Today's Sydney Daily Telegraph (12 December, Aussie time) carries an exclusive column by the prominent Labor federal politician Michael Danby, chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.

Danby, at one stage of his career the only Jew in federal Parliament, is (like Foreign Minister Bob Carr, once considered friendly towards Israel) a leading figure on the Right of his party (the ALP), and has been a pro-Israel advocate since his student days.

In his column he condemns what he sees as Carr's manipulative betrayal of Israel, which, he claims involved Carr ringing around keyparty  figures to ensure that pro-Israel Prime Minister Julia Gillard (pictured, with Bibi Netanyahu) was undermined.

Writes Danby, inter alia:

"As NSW premier he [Carr, in 2003] awarded the Sydney Peace Prize to Palestinian ideologue Hanan Ashrawi. As the only major figure in the Australian Jewish community to defend his actions, I used the Voltaire argument, namely his right to say things with which others disagreed.... 

Parliament last month saw a switch in Australia's stance at the UN creation of a Palestinian state after Julia Gillard's pro-Israel position was challenged and then overturned by Carr and others....

Some caucus members worry about every Palestinian - who is, by aid dollars per capita, the most highly subsidised minority in the world, including $350 million of Australian taxpayer funds.

By contrast, poor gentle Tibet gets little sympathy. More than 80 Tibetans have burned themselves to death in the past 18 months as a result of Chinese oppression.

Tibetans launch terrorist attacks on no one. They acquire no Iranian missiles to attack Chinese cities; they strap on no suicide vests to blow up no children on school buses.

Yet the Tibetans can't get a meeting with our Foreign Minister and they don't get a dollar from the UN.

We avert our eyes when a real power like China crushes under its boot an ancient people like the Tibetans. Yet our Foreign Minister asks of the Palestinian vote at the UN: "How will I explain this on the steps of the mosque at Lakemba?"

Nor are there any caucus resolutions over the 200,000 in the living death of North Korean concentration camps or the 300,000 African Muslims of Darfur butchered by their Islamist government in Sudan.

But the ostensible, domestic motivations for our changed vote are the most troubling aspect of the debate inside the Labor Party during the final week of parliament. It is self-defeating to suggest, as was widely claimed, that voters in western Sydney (who swung against the NSW Labor Party by 30-40 per cent at the last state election) will be influenced by votes at the UN.

Corruption at the heart of both the Left and Right of NSW Labor and the clear lack of infrastructure, particularly in western Sydney, are the real turn-off in Sydney seats. Phoning around, then speaking on the matter and ultimately threatening to speak against the Prime Minister is unforgivable behaviour for any minister in any cabinet government...."

Read the entire article here (hat tip: reader Shirlee)

In a recent column in the Jerusalem Post, the internationally-known and widely respected Jewish leader Isi Leibler, for a quarter of a century the dominant figure in the Australian Jewish community until he made aliya over a dozen years ago, also condemns Bob Carr's position, contrasting it with the demonstrated pro-Israel stance of almost all Australian federal administrations (regardless of party) down the years.

Explains Leibler, with justification:

"Much of this historical bipartisanship can be attributed to a vigorous Jewish community, renowned as being one of the most vibrant Zionist communities in the Diaspora. Its leadership has never failed, to speak upand take a principled stand on behalf of Israel when appropriate."

Of Carr, he writes in part:

"On a few recent occasions, votes by Australia at the UN appeared to deviate from the norm, but this was rationalized as temporary pandering to the Arabs to solicit votes for elections to the Security Council.

The dramatic tilt against Israel was spearheaded by Foreign Minister Bob Carr who exerted enormous pressure on the Labor caucus and compelled Prime Minister Gillard to backtrack from her decision to oppose the Palestinian initiative. Had she not complied, she would have been humiliatingly defeated and possibly toppled as Prime Minister. 

Carr was vigorously supported by former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke, at one time one of Israel’s greatest supporters, notorious (whilst inebriated) for having called on Israel to “nuke” the Palestinians if they failed to halt the terror. Hawke was intimately connected to Israel’s Labor leaders but after Menahem Begin was elected Prime Minister in 1977, he changed his views and today regards Israel as “intransigent”. He was supported by another veteran Labor politician, former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans, who since retiring from government has been consistently canvassing the Arab cause. Both fervently lobbied Labor ministers to repudiate Gillard’s policy....

Carr visited Israel in August this year meeting Israeli and Palestinian leaders including Ashrawi.

 On his return to Australia, he raised eyebrows when he dispatched a delegation to Iran to solicit votes for Australia’s UN Security Council candidature. There were also unconfirmed rumors circulating that undertakings were made to the Arabs in return for their support.

His backing of Israel during the Gaza campaign was lukewarm. In the Senate, he made the astonishing statement:  “Any response by Israel needs to be proportionate and not lead to civilian casualties. We have on more than a dozen occasions called on both sides to exercise restraint”.

Setting aside the moral equivalence inherent in this remark, he was effectively demanding that Israel – which more than any army in history goes out of its way to minimize civilian casualties – take no action to defend its citizens from missile attacks.

He was even more forthcoming after the UN vote when he proclaimed “I don’t apologize for the fact that Australia has interests in the Arab world. If we had voted no, that would have been a body blow to our interests in over 20 countries. The truth is they all see this as a bedrock issue.” He also dismissed suggestions that the Palestinians intended to exploit their new observer status to initiate charges of war crimes against Israel at the International Criminal Court.

Carr’s change of policy was confirmed when he joined the European bandwagon and hauled Israel’s Ambassador to Australia, Yuval Rotem over the coals following Israel’s decision to build homes in the Jerusalem suburbs and adjacent areas – which the Bush Administration had agreed should remain within Israel....

 [U]nless Gillard succeeds in persuading the Labor Party caucus to change its approach, in the short term Israel should not expect support from Australia under Foreign Minister Carr. Like many of our European “friends”, Carr may continue insisting that his motivations are based upon having the Jewish state’s security at heart and trying to save Israel from itself. But when the chips are down, he will abandon us as he did at the UN General Assembly.""

A recent scene in Sydney

Leibler also notes a salient demographic factor:

"With close to 500,000 Moslems now living in Australia, many concentrated in key Labor Party electorates, their influence has impacted on a number of Labor Ministers. Combined with the vehement anti-Israeli orientation of the far left Labor factions, this enabled Carr to persuade the Cabinet to tilt its policy against Israel."

(The number of Jews in Australia is around 100,000.)

Incidentally, the results of Britain's 2011 Census were announced today.

Of potential relevance to the way politicians react to issues affecting Israel, that Census shows that there are 263,000 declared Jews – and 2.7 million Muslims.

Aussie Foreign Minister Carr Cools Prime Minister Gillard's Ardour For Israel

Here's Senator Bob Carr talking before the ceasefire was confirmed about Operation Pillar of Cloud [Defence] and also about the demos against the Israeli-owned Max Brenner outlets that occur from time to time in Australia.

But as today's Australian newspaper reports, Carr, riding roughshod over the stance of prime minister Julia Gillard, has argued strenuously for Australia to offer no opposition to the Palestinian Authority's bid later this week for observer status at the United Nations.

Some who agree with him point to demographic changes in certain constituencies, which have led politicians representing them to pay heed to Muslim opinion on the issue.  Accordingly, Australia, rather than vote against the bid along with the United States and Israel, will abstain:

'.... Several ministers and backbenchers had been warning Gillard for weeks that the position on the UN vote, slated for Friday, needed to be finalised in order to instruct the ambassador to the UN, Gary Quinlan, on what to do.

They were seized by the dramatic change in the caucus on the Israel-Palestine issue, with several factors that have been slowly building within Labor -- Israel's settlement policy, increasing violence by settlers against Palestinians and a right-wing Israeli prime minister who backed Mitt Romney over Barack Obama.

There is concern both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are stalling on a two-state solution and that the outcome of the UN vote could positively energise those discussions.

And, critically, there is the growing Muslim and Christian make-up of several key western Sydney Labor seats, which have exposed MPs to different points of view on the Middle East.

Some sections of the party suggest Victorian Labor is too close to the Israel lobby and does not fully understand the underlying changes in Sydney's outer suburbs.

However, one Victorian minister said: "How are we going to solve Labor's challenges in western Sydney by the way we vote at the UN?"

Before the cabinet meeting late on Monday, Gillard met with senior ministers for two hours to discuss the UN vote. Carr sketched out the foreign policy argument for not opposing the Palestinian motion that he believed was in Australia's interests.

Environment Minister Tony Burke, holding a seat in southwest Sydney, explained the shift in the community he had been feeling on this issue for a long time...

Before this meeting, Gillard made an extraordinary request to the NSW Right faction convenor and chief government whip, Joel Fitzgibbon. She wanted him to bind the Right behind her position. Fitzgibbon refused.Meanwhile, former prime minister Bob Hawke, a long-time ardent supporter of Israel, was arguing behind the scenes for Australia not to oppose the motion on Palestine. So had his foreign minister, Gareth Evans, who warned Labor MPs and senators not to be "on the wrong side of history"....'

Reacting to the abstention decision, the shadow Foreign Minister, Senator Julie Bishop, said:

"The Coalition is disappointed that the Government has decided to abstain from voting at the United Nations on the matter of Palestinian Observer Status.

The Coalition believes Australia should vote against this bid as we do not believe that this is the path to peace and reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

Our concern is that the drive for greater recognition at the United Nations is an attempt by Palestinian leaders to enable them to bring action against Israel through the international courts.

It also risks conferring increased international status on the militant group Hamas which governs Gaza.

This action is likely to escalate and prolong the conflict, rather than lead to a resolution of disputes.

The path to peace is for the Palestinian leadership to officially recognise the right of Israel to exist and to halt the firing of rockets and mortars as part of a campaign by militants to terrorise and kill Israeli civilians.Australia has long supported the two-state solution and the right of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples to live peacefully and in safety within internationally recognised borders. We urge both sides to resume negotiations towards a lasting peace in the region."

Further details on this issue are available here 

Hat tip to reader Shirlee for this link to an ABC feature about young Aussie Jews proudly preparing to make aliyah.

Australian Statement On Settlements Ignores The Full Story

A few days ago, the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release concerning Israeli settlements, and quoting Foreign Minister Bob Carr, who's on record as opposing an Israeli strike on Iran:

'The Australian Government today expressed concern that Israel's latest announcement on settlements could further complicate prospects for resumed direct negotiations on an Israel-Palestinian peace.

The announcements from the Israeli Government included tenders for new housing construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank; and retrospectively legalising the status, rather than evacuating, several outposts in the West Bank. This was contrary to previous commitments from the Government.

The Australian Government has consistently called on both sides to show restraint and comply with their obligations under the Quartet's Roadmap for Peace and other previous agreements. This includes settlements because it is counter-productive to the peace process.

Australia believes in a negotiated two state solution to the conflict, and urges Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume direct negotiations without preconditions.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the announcement was an unhelpful development at a time when both sides need to take action to build trust and confidence.

"These announcements will not help efforts to bring both parties back to direct negotiations, which is the only path forward to achieving a two-state solution," Senator Carr said.'

Via the antipodean news service J-Wire, Emily Gian, of the Zionist Council of Victoria, observes:

'[Senator Carr's statement] seems to be in response to a bid by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to find a way to stop the demolition of several buildings in unauthorised outposts within the West Bank and to find a legal solution to this issue.


While reiterating the Australian Government’s call for both sides to "show restraint and comply with their obligations under the Quartet’s Roadmap for Peace", FM Carr chose to specifically single out the settlements as a "counterproductive to the peace process". He continued that the Israeli Government’s announcement was "an unhelpful development at a time when both sides need to take action to build trust and confidence" and that "these announcements will not help efforts to bring both parties back to direct negotiations".


FM Carr is correct in that the issue of the settlements has been a sticking point in negotiations for many years.


The Quartet’s Roadmap, which was laid out back in 2003, stated that the Government of Israel should immediately dismantle settlement outposts erected since March 2001, and consistent with the Mitchell Report, also froze all settlement activity including "natural growth of settlements". This was required to follow the implementation of Phase One of the Road Map which laid out certain requirements on the part of the Palestinians, namely that the "Palestinian leadership issues unequivocal statement reiterating Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to end armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere. All official Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel".


We are now nine years down the track and, given the conduct of the Palestinian leadership in both Gaza and the West Bank, it should be obvious that we are no closer to an implementation of Phase One than we were back then.


There are many issues that are holding back the peace talks and that have stood in the way of this elusive peace negotiation that is in the best interest of all parties, but by focussing solely on the settlements, FM Carr and others are only looking at one part of the problem.

For example, last month PA Minister of Social Affairs Majida Al-Masri, urged for Palestinian unity between rivals Fatah and Hamas "so that we will be able to stand against the occupation, to halt its activities against our prisoners, and to turn to the struggle for the liberation of Palestine – all of Palestine".


In case some are in need of a geography lesson, the liberation of all of Palestine does not mean the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, but all of Israel. If that is the stated position of a Minister of the Palestine Authority (Israel’s peace partner), then how important is resolving the issue of the settlements to the Palestinians, if at all?


The same attitude is reflected throughout Palestinian popular culture, with four songs currently being played PA-controlled television listing Israeli cities such as Haifa, Lod, Be’er Sheva, Tiberias, Sfat and Ashkelon as parts of Palestine (see more). I find the inclusion of Be’er Sheva and Ashkelon on this list particularly interesting considering Palestinian rockets are constantly aimed at these cities. But I digress. The point here is that this happens on a daily basis on Palestinian television, in mosques and in the media, and but yet Israel is consistently singled out for being the obstacle to peace.


There is also the continued issue of the glorification of Palestinian terrorists who have carried out some of the most heinous attacks against Israelis, such as the recent celebration of Dalal Mughrabi, who was responsible for the murder of 12 children and 25 adults. The Political and National Orientation Authority, an educational structure under the PA, referred to her a "person who fulfilled her obligation towards her land and homeland".


The Quartet, which met in Washington [this week] issued a statement and at least seemed to have more balance on the issues. It called on the PA to "continue to make every effort to improve law and order, to fight violent extremism, and to end incitement". Turning to Israel it "expressed its concern over ongoing settler violence and incitement in the West Bank and calls on Israel to take effective measures, including bringing perpetrators of such acts to justice". This is a more balanced approach than that which our FM here in Australia is taking.


Of course, the EU did not call on the PA to bring perpetrators of incitement to justice, but given that much of the incitement occurs in the PA media itself, such a call might have been somewhat embarrassing.


The Quartet did condemn "rocket attacks from Gaza and stressed the need for calm and security for both peoples". The Quartet knows that the rocket attacks are also extremely detrimental to the cause of peace. They should be condemned and the failure to do so should be of concern to all of us.


I have no doubt that our FM meant no harm with his statements, but I think it is vital that anyone who comments on the Middle East does so with a more nuanced approach. Blaming Israel is just going to give the Palestinians more reasons not to return to the negotiating table and renew their efforts to win UN recognition.'

For the full article, which includes links, see here