Forget slamming them, we should be encouraging MPs and the media to do their research by taking organised trips

Daanyal Saeed (Crikey, November 28) provides an incomplete list of politicians and journalists who visited Israel or Palestine either “on the dime of lobby groups or governments, or at their own expense”. Saeed says that federal parliamentarians visit Israel at a significantly higher rate than other countries. This comes with a negative connotation: that there is something inherently wrong with Israel seeking to educate and inform Australian politicians and media about the volatile state of affairs in the region.

Saeed and Crikey are seemingly drawing an assumption about these trips to Israel — that it is about undue influence. This is concerning.

There is no question that the government of Israel, and those associated with trade and strengthening the relationship between the two nations, are furthered by sponsored and self-funded visits. There is also a desire to show Australian MPs (and the media) what is happening in situ, providing a contrast to the vast army of social media warriors who have never been to the region and whose knowledge is garnered from afar through other social media postings.

To understand any regional conflict, and to make judgments as a federal parliament on what responses to take, one would hope that as many MPs as possible would have firsthand knowledge. We should be encouraging MPs and the media to visit Israel, Gaza, the West Bank — along with Syria, Yemin, Sudan, China, the USA, and every other country where our stance is important, both domestically and internationally.

When Australian politicians visit Israel, some in the media see this as being influenced and taking sides. Yet, when Australian and other politicians travelled to Ukraine, the media and public welcomed this as essential in understanding the war and the crisis it brought. I cannot recall demands the prime minister and others also travel to Moscow to meet with President Putin to ensure Ukraine wasn’t “influencing” our political discourse.

I worked for MPs who undertook paid trips to communist countries, including Cuba (under Fidel Castro’s dictatorship), Vietnam and China. If there has been an outcry from Crikey or others that communist forces are trying to influence Australia, I must have missed it. Recent diplomatic exchanges with China have not been accompanied by saturation media coverage about the fate of 1 million Uyghur people reportedly imprisoned. The “Free Tibet” outcry seems a faded memory when we seek to lift trade restrictions to further our domestic economic situation.  

Politicians are not stupid; they see what’s going on, even in the most packaged and managed of visits. I remember speaking with a minister after they returned from a sponsored delegation to Israel. They did not enjoy the experience. They described the Israeli propaganda efforts as “sledgehammer” and “too much”. While they found much to admire about the modern state of Israel, they came away, as many do, seeing the destructive settler movement for what it is, seeing the heartbreaking removal of Palestinians from their homes, seeing the way many Arab people are treated.

They also got to see what life is like in an advanced, vibrant, socially progressive democratic nation where their first lesson upon arrival is the location of the nearest bomb shelter, what to do when deadly rockets are fired by Hamas or Hezbollah, and how to be alert to suicide bombers and terrorist attacks.

Everyone should, if the opportunity arises, see the region and form their own opinions and views. I would expect journalists and politicians, where possible, to travel to Israel and the region, and report back on their experiences.

To imply such visits, regardless of who pays for them, creates undue influence or will lead to a pro-Israel stance misses the importance of knowledge and understanding deriving from firsthand insights.

Should journalists and politicians visit the Middle East, even if the trip is paid for by lobby groups? Readers, we want to hear from you — especially while our comments are closed due to our website upgrade. Send us your thoughts on this article to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.