Carr's learning curve on Palestine/Israel continued while he served as foreign minister in the Gillard government. You can read all about it in my posts on his 2014 Diary of a Foreign Minister.
For now, here's Carr's distillation of what he's learnt so far about the issue, in Run for Your Life (2018). The words which follow - from an insider not afraid to speak out - should be uppermost in the minds of all Australians concerned with how we go about shaping our foreign policy, particularly with regard to the Middle East:
"The hold of the Israel lobby over Australian politicians is based on two facts: first, donations to the political parties from the Jewish community leadership; second, paid trips to Israel extended to every member of parliament and journalists. From the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) over 700 trips alone. This political influence is particularly noticeable with the Victorian ALP Right and deserves some examination by journalistic sleuths, who seem reluctant to touch the subject. No other community, in my experience, treats politicians as their poodles, even when making a political case - not the Tamils or Singhalese, the Chinese, the Macedonians, the Cypriots, the Turks nor the Armenians." (p 180)
And here is Carr on that Zionist weapon of last resort, the false accusation of anti-Semitism:
"If it's anti-Semitic to believe that:
*the occupation needs to end;
*the Israelis are conning us by spreading settlements;
*all of them are illegal under international law;
*Israel is not a special state but a normal state which can be criticised;
then there will be no cringing, no apologetics, no backtracking from me... Criticism of an Israeli occupation, the settlements and the chauvinism of its politicians is not anti-Semitic. Only Zionist zealots wish it so." (p 181)
The chapter goes on to describe Carr's work inside the NSW ALP in support of the recognition of a Palestinian state, which culminated in a resolution to that effect at the 2017 ALP State Conference:
"I had carefully built support in the Labor Party for this next step - simple, straightforward, recognition for Palestine - and due to the quiet resolve of the young NSW party secretary, Kaila Murnain, was confident of it being carried at the conference. The small Israel faction within Labor was sour. One of their number put to me that, when it came time for me to move the motion, I should do so without giving a speech. And, he said, their side would do the same. This was a proposition as extraordinary as it was ratty: on a matter that had produced twenty-five motions from ALP branches, the conference should agree to progress the eventual resolution but with a solemn vow no one would speak to it. In other words, no hint of criticism of Israel might be allowed to be heard under the mock-Renaissance ceiling in the wood-panelled auditorium of Sydney Town Hall, lest it horrify the 800 delegates and the party members in the galleries. Here was the old refrain: how dare you - in this case how dare you contemplate voicing a criticism of a nation at once so precious and yet so fragile. How dare you.
"Nothing doing, to that outrageous proposition. I was proud as a rank-and-file member of the party... to stand on the floor of the Town Hall and say: 'Delegates, as the oldest and biggest state branch, we can't be left stranded on the wrong side of history. It was once time for Whitlam's opening to China. It was once time for an independent East Timor. Time now for another historic shift in Labor Party foreign policy. If the late, great Gough Whitlam were here he would intone into this microphone, 'Men and women of Australia, It's Time... to recognise Palestine.' It was carried unanimously... " (pp 183-4)
Showing posts with label Kaila Murnain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kaila Murnain. Show all posts
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Friday, March 18, 2016
Spotlight on the 'Australia Israel Labor Dialogue' 1
Before you read the following expose by The Australian's John Lyons - Labor Friend of Israel a lobbyist for weapons firm (16/3/16) - keep in mind that Israel's arms manufacturing Elbit Systems 'won' a $349m contract with the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) to develop a command, control and communications system for the Australian army in 2010 (See my 17/3/10 post Passports: Finally, Some Action) and is linked to Israel's illegal (ICJ 2004 ruling) West Bank apartheid wall* (See my 26/10/11 post Sucked in at Sydney University):
"A key figure behind a Labor Party friends-of-Israel group is also a lobbyist for the Australian subsidiary of one of Israel's largest arms manufacturers. Mary Easson has also played an active role in the emotive debate within the Labor Party over its policy towards Israel. Ms Easson is one of five members of the NSW branch of the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue. At the same time, she is a lobbyist for Elbit, according to her latest listing on the federal registrar.
"The fact that Ms Easson's company, Probity International Pty Ltd, is lobbying for Elbit is almost certain to lead to anger within the ALP from those who have taken trips organised by the AILD. Ms Easson has been locked in a brutal fight inside the Labor Party with former minister Bob Carr over policy towards Israel. Ms Easson wants the ALP to retain its bipartisan support for Israel while Mr Carr wants a deadline for Israel to cease its expansion of settlements in the West Bank and to return to negotiations with the Palestinians.
"Elbit is one of Israel's largest manufacturers of bombs, mortars, cyber warfare systems and drones and much of its ordnance was used in the 2014 war with Gaza. On its website, Elbit says one of its products - the Soltam Spear - has 'unprecedented lethality.' The patron of the NSW branch of the AILD, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie, said he was unaware of Ms Easson's connection to Elbit. 'I am very comfortable saying if there is any contribution made in NSW and that is made available for trips to Israel, that information should be publicly available.' Since it was formed in 2010, the AILD has sent 33 union and Labor Party officials to Israel. Ms Easson told The Australian most of those had been sent by the Victorian branch and she did not know of any being sent by the NSW branch.
"NSW convener Greg Holland said he took a group of unionists in 2014, which included now NSW ALP secretary Kaila Murnain and the Labor candidate for the federal seat of Perth, Tim Hammond. Yesterday, Ms Murnain would not answer any questions related to her trip and Mr Hammond said he was conscious these trips were 'highly sensitive' and would make no comment.
"When asked whether her role as a lobbyist for Elbit presented a conflict of interest when being part of a Labor Party group, Ms Easson at first said she worked for Elbit Australia, not the parent company. Later she said: 'I am employed by Intech Strategies and Intech Strategies is employed by Elbit Australia.' Ms Easson said she did not know who funded the trips for unionists. 'I'm not being coy, I really don't know the answer,' she said. 'How they get their funds I don't know - I guess I should have asked.'
"She said she joined the NSW branch of the AILD twelve months ago when it formed and it had not raised any funds or sent anybody on overseas trips. No one associated with the AILD contacted by The Australian was prepared or able to say who funded the trips. She said Elbit Systems of Australia managing directer Dan Webster had yesterday assured her no donation had been made from Elbit to the AILD. In October last year, three key NSW Labor officials went on an AILD trip - the secretary of the NSW branch of the Rail Tram and Bus Union, Alex Claasens, the secretary of the NSW Police Association, Peter Remfrey, and the Transport Workers Union's Polo Guilbert-Wright. Mr Claasens said he was approached by the Victorian branch and did not know of the Elbit connection when he went. 'The question for the people who run the organisation and the individual concerned is should it be put out there for people to see? Mr Claasens said.
"One of the key figures in the AILD, ACTU assistant secretary, Michael Borowick, would not give any specifics about who funded the AILD trips. 'Many individuals pay for their participation in the trips. AILD does respond favourably to individuals who make requests for a subsidy where it is available to do so,' he said. When asked who funded the AILD he said: 'AILD employs a variety of funding methods to support its activities.'
"Ms Easson has written in support of the current ALP policy - she was not a delegate but wrote a live blog from the NSW Labor conference in February. When the conference rejected motions she opposed, she wrote that 'the moment the fanatical anti-Israel forces were stopped and stood up to by sensible people in NSW Labor.' Several motions called for the banning of products made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and mandating that all Labor MPs who visited Israel on paid trips should spend equal time on the Palestinian side. The conference accepted a motion that 'encouraged' party members to spend 'substantial time in both Israel and Palestine.'
"Mr Holland did not think the AILD should have to reveal who funded trips. Asked if unionists who had been on these trips should have been told of Ms Easson's connection to Elbit, he said: 'That's up to Mary to do.' Asked about the possible conflict between the AILD, whose stated aim was a peaceful solution, and an arms manufacturer, Mr Holland said: 'I'm not sure what they (Elbit) do and how they do it. They might have peaceful solutions to conflicts.' He had the utmost confidence in Ms Easson and her probity.
"Federal Labor MP Melissa Parke - who has not taken one of the trips - said: 'Given the significant numbers of ALP members who are apparently being taken on these trips to Israel, it is a concern to know who is providing the funds, particularly where there is a person associated with an Israeli weapons manufacturer on the AILD committee. The Israel-Palestine conflict is a matter of ongoing and sometimes heated debate within the ALP. The best antidote to distrust and suspicion is full disclosure and full transparency'."
[* This puts Mary Easson's 2007 comment on the wall in a whole new light: "A wall in principle sounds like a terrible thing, but you go and see it and you think, 'Oh well, yeah, I can see why you would need that." See my 19/6/12 post A Family Affair.]
"A key figure behind a Labor Party friends-of-Israel group is also a lobbyist for the Australian subsidiary of one of Israel's largest arms manufacturers. Mary Easson has also played an active role in the emotive debate within the Labor Party over its policy towards Israel. Ms Easson is one of five members of the NSW branch of the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue. At the same time, she is a lobbyist for Elbit, according to her latest listing on the federal registrar.
"The fact that Ms Easson's company, Probity International Pty Ltd, is lobbying for Elbit is almost certain to lead to anger within the ALP from those who have taken trips organised by the AILD. Ms Easson has been locked in a brutal fight inside the Labor Party with former minister Bob Carr over policy towards Israel. Ms Easson wants the ALP to retain its bipartisan support for Israel while Mr Carr wants a deadline for Israel to cease its expansion of settlements in the West Bank and to return to negotiations with the Palestinians.
"Elbit is one of Israel's largest manufacturers of bombs, mortars, cyber warfare systems and drones and much of its ordnance was used in the 2014 war with Gaza. On its website, Elbit says one of its products - the Soltam Spear - has 'unprecedented lethality.' The patron of the NSW branch of the AILD, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie, said he was unaware of Ms Easson's connection to Elbit. 'I am very comfortable saying if there is any contribution made in NSW and that is made available for trips to Israel, that information should be publicly available.' Since it was formed in 2010, the AILD has sent 33 union and Labor Party officials to Israel. Ms Easson told The Australian most of those had been sent by the Victorian branch and she did not know of any being sent by the NSW branch.
"NSW convener Greg Holland said he took a group of unionists in 2014, which included now NSW ALP secretary Kaila Murnain and the Labor candidate for the federal seat of Perth, Tim Hammond. Yesterday, Ms Murnain would not answer any questions related to her trip and Mr Hammond said he was conscious these trips were 'highly sensitive' and would make no comment.
"When asked whether her role as a lobbyist for Elbit presented a conflict of interest when being part of a Labor Party group, Ms Easson at first said she worked for Elbit Australia, not the parent company. Later she said: 'I am employed by Intech Strategies and Intech Strategies is employed by Elbit Australia.' Ms Easson said she did not know who funded the trips for unionists. 'I'm not being coy, I really don't know the answer,' she said. 'How they get their funds I don't know - I guess I should have asked.'
"She said she joined the NSW branch of the AILD twelve months ago when it formed and it had not raised any funds or sent anybody on overseas trips. No one associated with the AILD contacted by The Australian was prepared or able to say who funded the trips. She said Elbit Systems of Australia managing directer Dan Webster had yesterday assured her no donation had been made from Elbit to the AILD. In October last year, three key NSW Labor officials went on an AILD trip - the secretary of the NSW branch of the Rail Tram and Bus Union, Alex Claasens, the secretary of the NSW Police Association, Peter Remfrey, and the Transport Workers Union's Polo Guilbert-Wright. Mr Claasens said he was approached by the Victorian branch and did not know of the Elbit connection when he went. 'The question for the people who run the organisation and the individual concerned is should it be put out there for people to see? Mr Claasens said.
"One of the key figures in the AILD, ACTU assistant secretary, Michael Borowick, would not give any specifics about who funded the AILD trips. 'Many individuals pay for their participation in the trips. AILD does respond favourably to individuals who make requests for a subsidy where it is available to do so,' he said. When asked who funded the AILD he said: 'AILD employs a variety of funding methods to support its activities.'
"Ms Easson has written in support of the current ALP policy - she was not a delegate but wrote a live blog from the NSW Labor conference in February. When the conference rejected motions she opposed, she wrote that 'the moment the fanatical anti-Israel forces were stopped and stood up to by sensible people in NSW Labor.' Several motions called for the banning of products made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and mandating that all Labor MPs who visited Israel on paid trips should spend equal time on the Palestinian side. The conference accepted a motion that 'encouraged' party members to spend 'substantial time in both Israel and Palestine.'
"Mr Holland did not think the AILD should have to reveal who funded trips. Asked if unionists who had been on these trips should have been told of Ms Easson's connection to Elbit, he said: 'That's up to Mary to do.' Asked about the possible conflict between the AILD, whose stated aim was a peaceful solution, and an arms manufacturer, Mr Holland said: 'I'm not sure what they (Elbit) do and how they do it. They might have peaceful solutions to conflicts.' He had the utmost confidence in Ms Easson and her probity.
"Federal Labor MP Melissa Parke - who has not taken one of the trips - said: 'Given the significant numbers of ALP members who are apparently being taken on these trips to Israel, it is a concern to know who is providing the funds, particularly where there is a person associated with an Israeli weapons manufacturer on the AILD committee. The Israel-Palestine conflict is a matter of ongoing and sometimes heated debate within the ALP. The best antidote to distrust and suspicion is full disclosure and full transparency'."
[* This puts Mary Easson's 2007 comment on the wall in a whole new light: "A wall in principle sounds like a terrible thing, but you go and see it and you think, 'Oh well, yeah, I can see why you would need that." See my 19/6/12 post A Family Affair.]
Thursday, January 21, 2016
About Bloody Time!
"Divisions within the ALP over Middle East policy are set to flare at next month's NSW conference over a push to ban Labor MPs, officials and Young Labor members from accepting subsidised trips to Israel. The proposal has been put forward by the group Labor Friends of Palestine. The motion states that while Benjamin Netanyahu's government 'continues settlements, refuses a Palestinian state [and] brutally mistreats Arab residents of the West Bank,' that no ALP officer, MP or Young Labor member 'accept a paid trip from the Israel Lobby'." (Push to ban Labor officials from lobby trips to Israel, Sean Nicholls, Sydney Morning Herald, 20/1/16)
While any step in this direction is welcome, it speaks volumes about the ALP that its ranks are filled with those so ignorant and unprincipled that a motion such as the above has to be moved in the first place.
"The push is in response to a perception of an increase in approaches to Labor MPs and officials to take the trips following the passage of resolutions at ALP conferences."
How interesting! So far no one has breathed a word on who said what to whom. One day perhaps?
It'll be fascinating to see how the recently rambammed (12/14) Kaila Murnain, now NSW Labor's general-secretary, will vote on this one. One-to-watch!
While any step in this direction is welcome, it speaks volumes about the ALP that its ranks are filled with those so ignorant and unprincipled that a motion such as the above has to be moved in the first place.
"The push is in response to a perception of an increase in approaches to Labor MPs and officials to take the trips following the passage of resolutions at ALP conferences."
How interesting! So far no one has breathed a word on who said what to whom. One day perhaps?
It'll be fascinating to see how the recently rambammed (12/14) Kaila Murnain, now NSW Labor's general-secretary, will vote on this one. One-to-watch!
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Not Happy, Kaila!
"NSW Labor is embarking on one of the most ambitious affirmative action programs in its history, with new rules to massively boost the number of women in key roles at the grassroots of the party with the aim of transforming the organisation from the ground up... From July 1, at least 40% of those elected must be women, increasing to 45% in 2022 and 50% in 2027... Acting NSW general-secretary Kaila Murnain said NSW Labor was 'leading the way in encouraging diversity of representation in Parliament, and our historic reforms will ensure our party is more representative at the grassroots level'... Ms Murnain is likely to be elected as general-secretary at the February 13-14 state conference." (50-50 vision: Labor's plan to promote women, Sean Nichols, Sydney Morning Herald, 18/1/16)
Excuse me, comrade, this proposal is simply not good enough as it stands. It needs to reflect Labor's CORE value. So I'm moving the following amendment to remedy this unforgivable deficiency. It can be tacked on the end of your motion:
'And that from July 1, at least 40% of those rambammed must be women, increasing to 45% in 2022 and 50% in 2027.'
Excuse me, comrade, this proposal is simply not good enough as it stands. It needs to reflect Labor's CORE value. So I'm moving the following amendment to remedy this unforgivable deficiency. It can be tacked on the end of your motion:
'And that from July 1, at least 40% of those rambammed must be women, increasing to 45% in 2022 and 50% in 2027.'
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Go Girl!
Hm... so Jamie Clements, the General-Secretary of NSW Labor, has grown too sexy for his shirt and "his likely replacement" will be Kaila Murnain..." (Love's Labor's loss, Sean Nicholls, Sydney Morning Herald, 16/1/16)
I should bloody well hope so!
After all, as a graduate of the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue's December 2014 Rambam,* Kaila is eminently qualified for this very important position.
[See my 4/1/15 post Recently Rambammed.]
I should bloody well hope so!
After all, as a graduate of the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue's December 2014 Rambam,* Kaila is eminently qualified for this very important position.
[See my 4/1/15 post Recently Rambammed.]
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Business as Usual at the ALP
In Occupied Palestine, from 1 October - 30 November:
102 Palestinians were killed by Israelis
17 Israelis were killed by Palestinians
11, 299 Palestinians were injured by Israelis
169 Israelis were injured by Palestinians
Meanwhile, far away in the land down under, as one occupied, colonised and brutalised Palestinian after another bites the dust, the great Australian Labor Party is busy implementing number 17 of 'Labor's Enduring Values' (as listed in its 'National Platform'), namely:
"We look at the world differently to our opponents: we see it through the eyes of those without privilege, power or title."
For example:
"Deputy Labor leader and shadow foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek has unequivocally distanced the party from [Bob Carr's] unhinged views. Senator Glenn Sterle is in Israel right now, and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten would have been if not for unforeseen circumstances delaying his trip. Labor stalwart Peter Beattie launched another state branch of the Australia-Israel Labor Dialogue in Brisbane last month, while Western Australian Labor will debate a motion condemning Palestinian knife attacks next week. Meanwhile, high-profile Labor senator Penny Wong reaffirmed her and her party's support for Israel at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry's recent AGM." (Editorial: Carr crosses the line, Australian Jewish News, 11/12/15)
I note that "NSW Labor will harness an army of community activists to try to defeat the Coalition government at next year's federal election and will appoint 10 field directors throughout the state to implement an Obama-style 'organising to win' campaign... The strategy is being led by Kaila Murnain, NSW Labor's assistant general-secretary..." (ALP's 'Obama-style' activist army, Troy Bramston, The Australian, 23/11/15)
Kaila Murnain was rambammed in December 2014 - see my 4/1/15 post Recently Rambammed.
Should she or any of her minions come knocking on your door you might want to ask her/them if they know what Labor's 17th 'enduring value' is and whether they think it's compatible with "an all-expenses paid trip"** to the apartheid state.
[*UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA);** The AJN quotes the "unhinged" Bob Carr as saying that "All of them [politicians] are being seduced and bribed... A bloke was just elected... and the lobby was in his door offering him an all-expenses paid trip to Israel, it's disgraceful." (Carr slammed over Jerusalem remarks, 11/12/15)]
102 Palestinians were killed by Israelis
17 Israelis were killed by Palestinians
11, 299 Palestinians were injured by Israelis
169 Israelis were injured by Palestinians
Meanwhile, far away in the land down under, as one occupied, colonised and brutalised Palestinian after another bites the dust, the great Australian Labor Party is busy implementing number 17 of 'Labor's Enduring Values' (as listed in its 'National Platform'), namely:
"We look at the world differently to our opponents: we see it through the eyes of those without privilege, power or title."
For example:
"Deputy Labor leader and shadow foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek has unequivocally distanced the party from [Bob Carr's] unhinged views. Senator Glenn Sterle is in Israel right now, and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten would have been if not for unforeseen circumstances delaying his trip. Labor stalwart Peter Beattie launched another state branch of the Australia-Israel Labor Dialogue in Brisbane last month, while Western Australian Labor will debate a motion condemning Palestinian knife attacks next week. Meanwhile, high-profile Labor senator Penny Wong reaffirmed her and her party's support for Israel at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry's recent AGM." (Editorial: Carr crosses the line, Australian Jewish News, 11/12/15)
I note that "NSW Labor will harness an army of community activists to try to defeat the Coalition government at next year's federal election and will appoint 10 field directors throughout the state to implement an Obama-style 'organising to win' campaign... The strategy is being led by Kaila Murnain, NSW Labor's assistant general-secretary..." (ALP's 'Obama-style' activist army, Troy Bramston, The Australian, 23/11/15)
Kaila Murnain was rambammed in December 2014 - see my 4/1/15 post Recently Rambammed.
Should she or any of her minions come knocking on your door you might want to ask her/them if they know what Labor's 17th 'enduring value' is and whether they think it's compatible with "an all-expenses paid trip"** to the apartheid state.
[*UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA);** The AJN quotes the "unhinged" Bob Carr as saying that "All of them [politicians] are being seduced and bribed... A bloke was just elected... and the lobby was in his door offering him an all-expenses paid trip to Israel, it's disgraceful." (Carr slammed over Jerusalem remarks, 11/12/15)]
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Recently Rambammed
Sarah Ferguson: How do you account for [the Israel lobby] wielding so much power?
Bob Carr: I think political donations and a program of giving trips to MPs and journalists to Israel.
7.30 Report, 9/4/14
Remember Paul Howes' flirtation with horticulture, TULIP (Trade Unions Linking Israel & Palestine)? Well, ever since Paul left off linking Israel and Palestine (LOL) and took up a position with KPMG last year, TULIP seems to have withered, judging by the sad state of its Australian website.
So where's a Labor lad/ladette to get his/her Ziofix these days? No problem! Meet TULIP's successor AILD (Australia Israel Labor Dialogue), which aims "to promote and foster dialogue and fraternal links between the Australian and Israeli Labor parties" (aild.org.au)
AILD, you'll be pleased to know, had its first rambam last month:
"In the first mission of its kind, the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue has hosted a group of 11 members and officials of the Australian Labor Party on a Study Mission to Israel." (ALP on an Israeli study mission, jwire.net.au, 24/12/14)
Just for the record, the lucky 11 were:
Paul Frayne (Office of Andrew Giles MHR), Kent Rowe (ALP Secretary NT), Mitchell Wilson (NSW ALP Organiser), Jessica Malnersic (President NSW Young Labor), Tim Hammond (Barrister), Adam Slonim (AILD), Kaila Murnain (Assistant Federal Secretary ALP NSW), Michael Vaughan (Office of Tanya Plibersek MHR), Greg Holland (ALP candidate NSW state election), Rose Butler Jackson (Assistant Secretary NSW ALP), Michael Borowick (AILD chair & ACTU Assistant Secretary).
Hm... Rose Jackson, who, like federal opposition deputy leader Tanya (Once Was Warrior) Plibersek, had to recant her views in order to climb the greasy pole. (Just click on the Rose Jackson and Tanya Plibersek labels below.)
Hm... Office of Tanya (Once Was Warrior) Plibersek.
Hm... Assistant Secretary, ACTU.
Here's some of what they got up to:
"The group spent a week touring Israel being briefed by academics, journalists, and policy advisers, the Australian Embassy, the Knesset and spent a morning in Ramallah meeting the Palestinian Authority and PLO spokespeople. Mission highlights included meeting the leadership of the Israeli Labor Party, touring Sderot and the Gaza border crossing, visiting Gush Etzion, and seeing first hand the work of Australian doctors at the Tzefat hospital treating Syrian child casualties of the civil war."
Hm...
Note how a cup of coffee with the PA is always part and parcel of these Zionist propaganda tours, yet has bugger all impact on the rambammed. What happens I wonder? Do the rambammed a) play with their phones? b) roll their eyes? c) stare out the window? d) dream of the long liquid lunch that awaits back in Jerusalem? e) nap? f) all 5?
Note how the Australian Embassy is part of (complicit in?) the exercise.
Note how the carry on at Ziv Hospital, Israel's cover for its intervention in Syria, has become part of the program. (See my 12/12/14 post A Side of Israel the World Too Rarely Acknowledges.)
Bob Carr: I think political donations and a program of giving trips to MPs and journalists to Israel.
7.30 Report, 9/4/14
Remember Paul Howes' flirtation with horticulture, TULIP (Trade Unions Linking Israel & Palestine)? Well, ever since Paul left off linking Israel and Palestine (LOL) and took up a position with KPMG last year, TULIP seems to have withered, judging by the sad state of its Australian website.
So where's a Labor lad/ladette to get his/her Ziofix these days? No problem! Meet TULIP's successor AILD (Australia Israel Labor Dialogue), which aims "to promote and foster dialogue and fraternal links between the Australian and Israeli Labor parties" (aild.org.au)
AILD, you'll be pleased to know, had its first rambam last month:
"In the first mission of its kind, the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue has hosted a group of 11 members and officials of the Australian Labor Party on a Study Mission to Israel." (ALP on an Israeli study mission, jwire.net.au, 24/12/14)
Just for the record, the lucky 11 were:
Paul Frayne (Office of Andrew Giles MHR), Kent Rowe (ALP Secretary NT), Mitchell Wilson (NSW ALP Organiser), Jessica Malnersic (President NSW Young Labor), Tim Hammond (Barrister), Adam Slonim (AILD), Kaila Murnain (Assistant Federal Secretary ALP NSW), Michael Vaughan (Office of Tanya Plibersek MHR), Greg Holland (ALP candidate NSW state election), Rose Butler Jackson (Assistant Secretary NSW ALP), Michael Borowick (AILD chair & ACTU Assistant Secretary).
Hm... Rose Jackson, who, like federal opposition deputy leader Tanya (Once Was Warrior) Plibersek, had to recant her views in order to climb the greasy pole. (Just click on the Rose Jackson and Tanya Plibersek labels below.)
Hm... Office of Tanya (Once Was Warrior) Plibersek.
Hm... Assistant Secretary, ACTU.
Here's some of what they got up to:
"The group spent a week touring Israel being briefed by academics, journalists, and policy advisers, the Australian Embassy, the Knesset and spent a morning in Ramallah meeting the Palestinian Authority and PLO spokespeople. Mission highlights included meeting the leadership of the Israeli Labor Party, touring Sderot and the Gaza border crossing, visiting Gush Etzion, and seeing first hand the work of Australian doctors at the Tzefat hospital treating Syrian child casualties of the civil war."
Hm...
Note how a cup of coffee with the PA is always part and parcel of these Zionist propaganda tours, yet has bugger all impact on the rambammed. What happens I wonder? Do the rambammed a) play with their phones? b) roll their eyes? c) stare out the window? d) dream of the long liquid lunch that awaits back in Jerusalem? e) nap? f) all 5?
Note how the Australian Embassy is part of (complicit in?) the exercise.
Note how the carry on at Ziv Hospital, Israel's cover for its intervention in Syria, has become part of the program. (See my 12/12/14 post A Side of Israel the World Too Rarely Acknowledges.)
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