Blinded by the Light

For the Australian Labor Party, Ben Chifley's 'light on the hill' was long ago replaced by a guiding light of an entirely different order, one whose intensity - like white phosphorus in a Gaza sky at night - only seems to increase as the background gloom deepens:

"Israel is 65 years old, even as the state fulfills a dream of faith and rebirth that is over 3000 years old. We cherish Israel as a democracy in a region facing profound upheaval. It is a society, as I have noted previously, based on liberty, justice and peace, and which has guaranteed freedom of religion, language and culture to all its people. Just last month, President Shimon Peres, a founding father of the state, captured modern Israel with these words: 'We have a rich heritage and a great dream. As I look back, I feel the Israel of today has exceeded the vision we had 65 years ago. Reality has surpassed the dreams'. Israel is a modern miracle." (Message from Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Israel's 65th Independence Day*, The Australian Jewish News, 12/4/13)

"On behalf of the Victorian Labor Party, I offer my best wishes to the Jewish Community on the occasion of Israel's 65th Independence Day. Israel's Independence Day does not merely mark the signing of an instrument or the foundation of a Government. It marks the momentous attainment of a displaced people formally reunited with their historic homeland. When Israel's Independence Day is celebrated in Victoria, we are reminded of the values that bind our peoples. A deep faith in democracy, freedom and enterprise. A dedication to the sciences, to the arts and to human development. These are the foundations on which our societies are built, and these are the facets that define our friendship. Mazel tov to the State of Israel, and the community in the Diaspora, for reaching this important anniversary. In Israel's 65th year, may our friendship strengthen, and may we reinforce the close partnership which we have embraced for so many decades." (Message from Victorian Labor Opposition leader Daniel Andrews, Yom Ha'atzmaut 2013 supplement, The AJN, 12/4/13)

[*Begins tonight.]