Does Australia have a new Middle East policy?
Yesterday, in reluctantly welcoming the nuclear deal with Iran, the Prime Minister said “we certainly want a nuclear-free Middle East. The Middle East is the most unstable and dangerous part of the world. If any country in the Middle East were to get nuclear weapons that would be a horrifying escalation of tension.”
As Abbott would know, that statement on its face makes no sense. Israel has nuclear weapons — it has had them for a very long time. Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons is one of the motivations for Iran to pursue its own nuclear program. It’s a classic example of Western double-think that Abbott could declare his wish for a “nuclear-free Middle East” while subconsciously excluding Israel, and for the statement to be treated as entirely anodyne. It’s assumed by “Middle East” Abbott means the non-Israel bits, the Muslims. They’re subjected to a higher standard of behaviour and more onerous requirements than Israel, which is more or less allowed to do whatever the openly racist Netanyahu government wants to do without fear of international sanction.
Netanyahu himself reacted to the nuclear deal by describing the Iranians as a threat “several times greater” than Islamic State (which Iran is doing the heavy lifting of fighting on the ground in Iraq) and that Iran was hell-bent on “taking over the world”. That, by the way, sits rather poorly with the Australian government’s official position that Islamic State is the greatest “existential” threat in world history.
But the phrase “nuclear-free Middle East” is a little problematic in Australian diplomatic circles. Egypt has long led a push to establish a nuclear-free Middle East; in April this year, the US blocked a push by Egypt for a conference on a nuclear-free Middle East to which all countries in the region, “without exception”, would be invited. The Netanyahu government was sufficiently relieved that it took the unusual step of saying something positive about the Obama administration. That long-term push by Egypt was one of the causes of friction between then-foreign minister Bob Carr and Julia Gillard over Israel. In 2012, Carr wanted Australia to back the short-lived Morsi government on the issue, but his decision was reversed by Gillard. Carr later described her position on the Middle East as “shameful, in lockstep with Likud.”
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s office declined Crikey invitation to clarify the matter about whether Australia now supported a nuclear-free Middle East, or merely a nuclear-free Middle East for the people who aren’t like us.
“Abbott-Proof Sense”.
Trace the money, and who’s donating to the major parties, and you will see the basis of double standards.
I think this is just an example of Abbot’s but stupidity “Israel has nuclear weapons? Nobody told me!”
Abbottrocious is merely repeating the Bob & Jane see Spot version which is all that he can cope with, nuance having too many syllables.
BTW, if “people who aren’t like us” is meant to infer that we/I am like the Eretz/Likud cohort then I can only ask Tonto’s question, “Who you mean ‘WE’, Paleface?”
It seems Israel can thumb it nose at the world. Because it doesn’t admit to owning nuclear weapons, there is no way they can be open to inspection by the powers that be.
And they have the hypocrisy to criticise the plan put in place for Iran, who have agreed to scrutiny?
Bizarre!