No Fracking Idea

My, doesn't NSW Greens MLC Jeremy Buckingham look fracking uncomfortable in the photograph taken with Vic Alhadeff of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies which accompanies the Australian Jewish News report headlined First Green to sign London Declaration?

The singling out of Buckingham in this way indicates the importance attached to this particular scalp by the Israel lobby:

"NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham is among around 70* state parliamentarians who have added their signature to the London Declaration on Combating Antisemitism in the last two weeks. Buckingham, who is a member of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel, is the only NSW Greens MP to have signed the declaration." (31/5/13)

That Buckingham has no fracking idea what he's doing becomes painfully obvious in his quoted words:

"There's a symbolic importance to sign this very important document that condemns anti-Semitism and reaffirms our commitment to stamp out anti-Semitism. It's important that all political parties recognise the dangers of anti-Semitism, recognise how disastrous it was in the 20th century, and we have to be mindful to stamp it out wherever it rears its ugly head - in any way, shape or form - in our modern society... I recognise the State of Israel. I want to see self-determination for the people of Palestine as well, so I think it's a very fair document..." (ibid)

Incredibly, he  appears to believe that the declaration is only about Nazi-style anti-Semitism. If so, he clearly hasn't read the thing.

And when he says I recognise Israel, this can only mean that he recognises a Jewish state based on apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and occupation. If not, he clearly has not done his homework.

He then babbles on about Palestinian self-determination, blissfully ignorant of the fact that it is precisely the existence of a discriminatory, ethno-religious, colonial-settler regime in the whole of historic Palestine that prevents Palestinian national self-determination. Clearly, Buckingham wouldn't know what Palestinian self-determination looked like if it hit him in the face.

Finally, there's the gross non sequitur of his final statement: I want to see self-determination for the people of Palestine, so I think it's a very fair document.

As I said, no fracking idea!

Here's a little test for him: Does he believe that Israel:

a) is guilty of war crimes?
b) is expansionist and does not seek peace?
c) violates human rights?

If he answers yes to any of these questions, then he's outed himself as a bona fide, goose-stepping anti-Semite.

How so?

Well, in the very same issue of the AJN in which he's appeared, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is quoted as saying that a yes to any of these questions means that one is vilifying Israel and is therefore "part and parcel of the anti-Semitic campaign." (See Bibi: Truth is remedy to new anti-Semitism)

[*50 Coalition/20 Labor. The numbers here are of some interest. They suggest that 39 state Coalition/Labor MLAs, and 14 state Coalition/Labor MLCs have so far refrained from signing.]