No one should be surprised at the news that the Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard is hot footing it to Israel with some of the local press with a long track record for supporting the Israeli view of the Middle East. Which is basically — to paraphrase the Orwell line — “Israel good, Palestinians bad”.
US President Obama’s speech in Egypt and his insistence on some basic compliance by Israel with UN declarations has clearly wrong-footed Australia and angered the strong Israel lobby within the ALP.
Members like Michael Danby and others have made it their business to ensure that Australia’s foreign policy mirrored the worst of the shallowness of the Bush era which simply writes off those who believe in meeting Palestinian aspirations to live in some semblance of a homeland with some semblance of dignity, as ranting supporters of terrorism.
Of course there is a serious issue of the use of terrorism, but that applies to the terrorism from people with nothing left to lose as well as State terrorism. And for those in the Government who still do not understand the issues, Paul McGeough’s latest book Kill Khalid provides insight into the complete failure of all the major participants to move forward towards creating a just and lasting peace.
Our Foreign Policy has been very pro Israel — just look at the appalling silence when Israel, one of the strongest nuclear powers in the world, decimated the civilian population of Gaza where 1.5 million people live in a small area, trapped from any reasonable contact with the outside world.
The few ALP Caucus members who dare to hold the view that peace in the Middle East requires reigning in the unlawful Israeli occupations and demands that Palestinians be treated with some dignity have been warned not to go public but to keep any discussions about the policy in-house.
In the meantime, our foreign minister must be feeling very uncomfortable with the Obama play — it’s such a pity, as Australia could have used its position as an honest broker. Instead it hung on to the extreme Jewish lobby coattails and the Bush madness for too long.
So what’s the journey to Israel about? Assuring Israel that while we love the US we don’t agree with Obama and if we do get a seat on the Security Council we will look after Israeli interests?
‘one of the strongest nuclear powers in the world, decimated the civilian population of Gaza” .
And this guy was a State Premier? Does he even understand the use of the English language ‘decimated’?
The same Michael Danby is going to lead a parliamentary delegation to India to visit the Dalai Lama to discuss the plight of Tibetans under occupation by the Chinese. You can criticize the Chinese, but never never Israel.
The slavish support for Israel, regardless of what they do to other human beings is a disgrace. To defend Israel; say it has a right to defend itself against some pretty pathetic rockets, but to say nothing when phosphorus bombs, cluster bombs, tanks and armoured vehicles are used against the poverty stricken people in Gaza begs belief. Apparently, it’s OK to support murder on a grand scale, as long as the US says it’s OK. Any criticism of Israel is taken as being anti-semetic, which is a nonsense. Israel behaves in the same manner towards Palestinians, as Hitler did to them.
The UN has passed over a 100 Resolutions, calling, insisting, ordering Israel to do certain things, such as, removing the illegal wall, not building more settlements etc, but the US and its allies never bring this up. I reject any allegations towards me of being anti-semetic, because I point out the bloody obvious – Israel acts like a dictatorship and has been so since 1948. The once oppressed is now the oppressor. Israel also has hundreds, perhaps a couple of thousand nuclear weapons; is not a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Iran is), and won’t admit to this let alone let inspections take place. The hypocrisy and double standards is sickening. Even more enlightened and honest journalists in Israel are critical of what their government does, but the media(mostly) in this country cow tows to the worship of Israel, and ignores the horrors of the last 61years. I won’t!
The US gives/sells billions of dollars of weapons each year to Israel. Weapons that are illegal, such as the use of phosphorus bombs in built up areas should be treated as crimes against humanity. The idolitry shown by the Rudd Govt and perpetrated by Julia Gillard’s proposed visit to Israel is a disgrace. They have lost all credibility. The children of Gaza are obviously non people, as the murder of many, the detention and torture metered out to others, misery caused by Israel has virtually been sanctioned by this govt. Shame on them! I’ve lost any sympathy that I used to have for jewish people in Israel, and those outside who insist on having double standards. I believe that many people are in a similar position to me. They don’t even practice democracy in their own country! The Arab community are non-citizens.
Incidently, when will the US allow inspections in to peruse their nuclear, bio-chemical and other weapons facilities? When will countries like Australia, that purports to want a stronger anti-nuclear stance in the world, start exercising a fair dinkum attitude to this vital issue?
after being Premier of Western Australia, Peter Dowding retired to a quiet life and was only occasionally seen in public, generally sitting on a bus, muttering to himself, and telling whomever would listen that he used to be Premier once.
recently, he realised that nobodyon the bus was paying attention, and has sought a bigger audience.
Don’t give him one.
If Crikey keep publishing shallow sweeping hollow rubbish commentary like this I want nothing to do with it. I read Crikey for insight, not for stories that are shallower than a page 3 tabloid. It is the shades of grey that are where the real story is, not the black and white summary presented here with no effort on behalf of the author. Barely grade 8 material. Referencing concepts like ‘extreme jewish lobbies’ is lazy and unhelpful to mutual understanding. Pathetic.