Saturday, May 23, 2015

Richard Di Natale Reclassified

In my May 7 post on Richard Di Natale, The Green's New Limp Lettuce Leader, I jestingly classified him as being at the iceberg lettuce end of the greens spectrum.

Having just read Di Natale in his own words in The Australian Jewish News of May 22, however, I now realise I was wrong. Even an iceberg lettuce would have a more informed, nuanced and ethical perspective than this:

The two-state solution: "Most people who have followed this issue and care about it, would acknowledge that there really isn't any other [sic] alternative."

Hello? Does anyone seriously believe that Di Natale has ever "followed and cared about this issue"? Even for a nanosecond?

There is "no alternative" to two states? Oh, really?

IOW, there's no alternative to:

a) an ethnocratic, apartheid Israeli state on 78% (+ settlements + Jordan Valley + East Jerusalem) of historical Palestine; and

b) an impoverished, de-militarised, non-contiguous series of Palestinianian bantustans (with no control over borders or airspace) on the bits left over.

Although Di Natale lives in a unitary state blind to ethnicity or sectarian affiliation, he doesn't see it as an alternative to the above?  Well I'll be buggered!

Scary.

Recognising Israel's existence as a Jewish state: "Of course. How can you have a two-state solution when you refuse to acknowledge the right of one state to exist? It's patently nonsense."

Let's get this straight. The occupied Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza (many of whom, BTW, are the descendents of refugees from Israel improper) should recognise Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state which excludes the indigenous, non-Jewish Palestinians it turfed out in 1948 by denying them the right of return?

IOW, he expects the West Bankers and Gazans to kiss international law and basic, inalienable human rights goodbye and recognise an apartheid state based on the permanent exile of most Palestinians?

Apparently so. After all, as far as Di Natale's concerned, anything less is "patently nonsense."
  
BDS: "It's just not the party position. Some time ago we made a very clear statement that we didn't believe that this was a pathway to peace."

I think what Di Natale really means here is that BDS is not a pathway to peace with the Zionist lobby.

'Israeli' technology: "Israelis are at the forefront of innovative technologies around [water-saving]. Why wouldn't we be learning from some of the new technologies that the Israelis have developed?"

Which simply means that he cannot see past the brand Israel hype to Palestinian water tanks riddled by Israeli bullets and Israeli settler swimming pools brimming with water.

On visiting Israel: "Absolutely."

Iceberg lettuce? This bloke's not even a member of the plant kingdom. Is there a mycologist in the house?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...


@On visiting Israel: "Absolutely."

New proof that any politician must be initiated into the "Guide for the perplexed"*

*The Guide for the Perplexed (Hebrew: מורה נבוכים, Moreh Nevukhim; Arabic: دلالة الحائرين, dalālatul ḥā’irīn, דלאל̈ה אלחאירין) is one of the three major works of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, primarily known either as Maimonides, in the West, or as Rambam (Hebrew: רמב"ם‎ – for "Rabbeynu Mosheh Ben Maimon", "Our Rabbi Moses Son of Maimon")!

MERC said...

Thanks for that. Most enlightening.

You might find my own 'Guide to the Perplexed' (25/7/11) of interest. Just click on the 'Circus Israel' label below and scroll on down.

Anonymous said...

Oh, thank you. Looking for it I stumbled on the previous entry:

"Criminalising Criticism of Israel" (24/7/11).
Alas, we are closer to that too.
'On July 2nd and 3rd the Global Forum’s Steering Committee met in Jerusalem to plan the 2015 Global Forum...
The Steering Committee also lent its support to OHPI (Online Hate Prevention Institute) online hate monitoring software, which has previously been presented and supported by the Forum’s Online Antisemitism Working Group. The 2015 Global Forum will see some major announcements in relation to this software and the fight against antisemitism."
As expected:
"AUSTRALIAN activists were among the 1200 delegates at the fifth Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem last week.
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council director of international and community affairs Jeremy Jones, who has participated in all the previous forums, noted the size of this year’s event, with participants from more than 80 countries, representing governments, NGOs, religious organisations, academia and business."
“It is doubtful anyone could match the fiery denunciation of anti-Semites and their enablers delivered by Hassen Chalghoumi, a French Muslim leader, but the statements by European political leaders came close,” Jones said. (Well, yes, that's Circus Israel).

MERC said...

Looks like quite a gig! My bet's on the Ozraelis. To borrow a line from Circus Israel, they're capable of detecting an anti-Zionist insult sealed in kryptonite a thousand meters away and construing it as anti-Semitism.

Vacy said...

Most insighteful Merc
Power corrupts.
As soon as the Greens grew in number federally they grew conservative... even Bob Brown would not support BDS.
And now Di Natale wants the Greens to be a mainstream party... and mainstream politics supports Israel as a Jewish state. To be mainstream he has to cozy up to the Zionists and their lobby and money.
He is taking the Greens down a pragmatic, corporate, soulless path. Watch out Sarah Hanson-Young, Di Natale will soon support offshore detention. Cheryl Kernot destroyed the democrats. Maybe Di Nernot will destroy the Greens.
I stopped supporting the Greens when they ruled against BDS... though in NSW state parliament I like them.
What was interesting, about 3 weeks ago I attended an indigenous-organised rally and march to Redfern protesting the closure of remote communities... and there wasn't a single Greens banner to be seen.

Anonymous said...

Vacy,

Try to talk to the NSW Greens about a planning issue.
And then try again and again and again.

Sometimes I think I'd be better off trying Fred Nile!

Anonymous said...

No wonder that a very sneaky and underhanded process was required to install Di Natale in the leadership. I don't think the membership will put up with him for long.