The Israeli Occupation of Federal Parliament 2

Whenever there's a party, there's always someone around to pooh pooh it. On 12 March in the nation's capital, party animals of all stripes flocked to Parliament House. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson, and their party faithful, had gathered to pay homage to the 'plucky' little state of Israel on the occasion of her 60th birthday.

The Israel lobby's preferred press, The Australian, had no doubt been breathless with anticipation for the day when the Liberal lion (recently defanged) would lie down with the Labor lamb (recently fanged), and both would be as one in singing the praises of that Blight unto the Nations.

However, certain party-poopers (of a left-wing, anti-Israel persuasion, according to the self-proclaimed Heart of the Nation) just couldn't resist raining on the parade (not to mention sullying its pages) by placing a large, white-on-black, not-in-our-name advertisement protesting the PM's "bipartisan parliamentary motion...congratulating Israel on reaching the milestone of 60 years of statehood." Headed Improper Motion Needs Proper Action, 1948 Palestine Al Nakba, the ad was signed by a range of pro-Palestine organizations and individuals, including the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).

The ad's message, never to my knowledge heard before in Murdoch's flagship, read as follows:- "We, as informed and concerned Australians, choose to disassociate ourselves from a celebration of the triumph of racism and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians since the al-Nakba (Catastrophe) of 1948. As we write, Israel continues to expand illegal Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank including Arab East Jerusalem. Australia and Australians should not give the Israeli people and its leaders the impression that Australia supports them in their dispossession of the Palestinian people. Israel has poisoned our (the West's) relations with the whole of the Arab and Muslim world. Rather than celebrating the creation of the State of Israel we should be recognising the people of Palestine, those who were dispossessed, those who lived and died as refugees, those who continue to live and die and suffer at the hands of the State of Israel, and those who will continue to suffer and die in the future until justice is done."

Needless to say, it acted as the proverbial red rag to the Zionist bull[ies] who infest the pages of The Australian, and The Heart of the Nation wasn't going to take this outrageous provocation lying down:-

On page 2 we were alerted to Canberra's festivities by the header Online Today: Australia Salutes Israel, Multimedia: Greg Sheridan looks at 60 years of the Jewish state; Blog: Have your say, complete with photo of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert standing next to an Israeli flag.

On page 4 we ran bang into a news report, Labor split over motion on Israel: "Yesterday, the motion provoked a clash between Kevin Rudd and pro-Palestinian Labor MP Julia Irwin after Ms Irwin questioned why the Government was supporting the gesture given Israel's treatment of the Palestinians... Partyroom sources told The Australian Ms Irwin unsuccessfully attempted to table a number of Amnesty International reports during yesterday's caucus meeting, which she said detailed Israel's alleged [!!!] mistreatment of the Palestinians. Ms Irwin...had yet to decide if she would support the motion...In 2003 Ms Irwin called for UN intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and also read an email to the parliament that described the Jewish lobby in Australia as 'the most implacable, arrogant, cruel and powerful lobby in the country' [ie sterling advocates for their implacable, arrogant, cruel and powerful 'cause']"

Then, just when we thought we were safe, the opinion page disclosed Philip Chester's rhapsodical Israel's far-flung friend: The Jewish state cops a lot of criticism, but not from Australia. Phil, of course, is the prez of the Zionist Federation of Australia.

Some highlights:-

"Israel is quite simply a modern marvel. In the anti-colonialist era...European masters began the process of returning lands to their original inhabitants. What distinguished the Jews from other such people was that they had been expelled and forced to live in exile while the land they had lived in for 1500 years endured occupation for 2 milleniums."

Except that European masters weren't normally in the habit of returning stolen lands. These were generally taken back by the colonized, often after an armed struggle of the type waged by the indigenous Palestinians against the Zionist occupation and colonization of their Palestinian homeland. In the case of Palestine, post-WW1 British mandate rule constituted the imperial womb from which the Zionist brat emerged into the unsuspecting world of Arab Palestine. I say brat because the little blighter later turned to biting the imperial hand that had nurtured him, not to mention getting stuck into the natives big time. Phil's conceit, a Zionist staple, that today's Jews are somehow directly descended from those who lived in Palestine 1500 years ago is, of course, pure fantasy, but even if it were not, the notion that all who sailed in the good ship Palestine, before or after the 'Jewish phase', were occupiers is typical Zionist claptrap.

"While other post-war countries remained mired in corruption, authoritarianism, violent fundamentalism and poverty, Israel accumulated a range of achievements in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres that are truly mind-boggling. Israel is a true liberal democracy, with numerous political parties representing the wide range of Jewish and Arab interests...Israel is the only country in the world that entered this century with a net gain in its number of trees..."

Corruption: Israel is hardly anything to write home about in this respect: Transparency International, in its 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index rated it 5.9/10, making it no. 30 in a field of 180.

Authoritarianism: The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) notes (2004) that "protection of human rights in Israel is poor; there is serious political and economic discrimination against the Arab minority; there is much less freedom of religion than in other democracies; and the socioeconomic inequality indicator is among the highest in the sample." Further, they state that in terms of stability and social cohesion, "Israel ranks at the bottom of the list...The turnover in governments is more frequent than in other democracies and only India ranks lower in social tensions and rifts between the various segments of society." And that's only if we take Israel's democratic credentials at face value. Drive out the native majority, as Israel did in 48, so that the Jewish minority becomes the new majority, and, hey presto, you've successfully gerrymandered a state that's both Jewish and democratic. And we won't whisper a word about authoritarianism in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

Violent fundamentalism: Hello settlers!

Poverty: According to mazon.org, 30% of Israeli children and 20% of its elderly live below the poverty line, while 22% of its population is food insecure. Now where does that $3 billion + US aid go to, I wonder?

Mind-boggling achievements: Phil has neglected to mention the most mind-boggling of all: Israel is, as Uri Avnery has pointed out, "Numero Uno" in liquidations.

Israel is a true liberal democracy, with numerous political parties representing the wide range of Jewish and Arab interests: Perhaps he hasn't gotten around yet to reading last year's report from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) which "paints a bleak picture: increasing racism, restriction of personal freedoms and discrimination even within the Knesset walls - and that's just scratching the surface." Read on at Israel's ynet.co.il, Racism in Israel on the rise, Aviram Zino 12/8/07.

Trees: Often planted by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) over the ruins of the hundreds of Palestinian villages razed by Israeli forces in 1948.

"Australia and Israel share a great friendship. Political, economic and cultural interchange is common and Australia, since its significant role in supporting the establishment of the state of Israel in 1947, has proved itself a staunch ally in international forums. As the parliament's bipartisan resolution demonstrates, our main political parties are united in their support of Israel...Australia and Israel are both vibrant democracies that respect the rule of law and freedom of the press, despite being situated in regions where democracy is not necessarily the accepted order...Australia and Israel have been remarkably enriched by the arrival of people from diverse cultural origins. And, perhaps most tellingly, Israelis and Australians reject extremism and pretension and believe in the fundamental freedom of the individual."

1947: OMG, the ZFA prez has forgotten that Israel was established in 1948!

Staunch ally in international forums: Yeah, like those other staunch allies in the Pacific, Palau, Micronesia, the Marshalls, Nauru etc. Now what could possibly be in it for them? Or us?

Australia/Israel vibrant democracies: Except, of course, that Australia's democracy is not based on the mass expulsion and ongoing exclusion of millions of its potential citizens.

The rule of law: On Kaufmann et al's Rule of Law Index (2002) Australia rates 1.85, while Israel rates 0.97, hardly light years away from Cuba (0.94), Bahrein (0.92) or Libya (0.91).

Freedom of the press: On Reporters Without Border's Press Freedom Index (2007) Australia is no. 28, while Israel is no. 44, dropping to 103 when it comes to the occupied Palestinian territories. Can't give the press too free a hand there now, can we?

Immigrants from diverse cultural origins: Except that Australia doesn't exclude people simply because they don't have a Jewish mother.

Yadda, yadda, yadda. Should you wish to hear Phil's rhapsody in its entirety, that always reliable Zionist cyber warrior, anonymous, has thoughtfully appended it to his comment on my last post.

Then, on the letters page, we were treated to one of those bizarre editorials (Isratorials?) all too often found in The Australian. BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR STATE OF ISRAEL: An enduring beacon of democracy in a troubled region began in comic vein by asserting that Rudd's motion and Michael Danby MP's recent "first Jewish wedding in Parliament House" demonstrated "the bipartisan support that exists for Israel."

The goofy grin on the editor's face soon disappeared, however, because, let me tell you, he was not, repeat NOT, very happy with the advertisement or those behind it: "Predictably, today's statement to parliament - the timing of which has been agreed between the Government and the Israeli embassy for the convenience of parliament [Lobby memo: Israeli embassy tells Australian Government to celebrate Israel's next birthday at a time convenient to our Enduring Beacon of Democracy] - has spawned a chorus of dissent from the left-wing, anti-Israel suspects...a group claiming to be informed and concerned Australians has distanced itself from what it says is 'a celebration of racism and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians since the al-Nakba (Catastrophe) of 1948'...The sponsors of the advertisement, which include individuals and organisations such as the Australian Friends of Palestine, the militant [As in Hamas militants?] left-wing CFMEU and the Socialist Alliance, are entitled to their view. The group expresses what is now fashionable thought in academe, increasingly attracted to victimhood [Of which Israel holds the patent]...Unfortunately, it offers nothing to further the cause of peace or properly recognise the tragic circumstances that underpinned the creation of the state of Israel in the first place."

"Nowhere has the grotesque nature of the Israel-Palestine conflict been more evident than in the joyful celebrations among Gazan civilians following news that a deranged gunman had killed 8 Jewish students...What does it say about Hamas culture that it would promote public celebration at the slaughter of children?" Palestinians of course, as pure automatons, have to be organized by the evil CFMEU, sorry, Hamas militants, to indulge in a spot of schadenfreude. The fact that Israel had only just left off tearing over 120 of them limb from limb couldn't possibly have spurred them to such a display.

"One thing is certain: such barbaric displays by Israelis do not accompany news of the murder of Palestinians." How true! And how could it be otherwise? As Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) chairman, Mark Leibler, has so memorably put it: "For Hamas and Hezbollah, every dead Israeli child is a victory and a cause for celebration. For Israel, every dead Palestinian child is a tragedy and a mistake."

"The Australian believes Israel has been a force for good in the Middle East while its Arab opponents have, unfortunately, slipped backwards." But of course - think how helpful Israel has been in relieving the Palestinians of the terrible burden of self-determination and national independence. Think how over the years Israel has selflessly implemented huge slum renovation and population reduction projects throughout Palestine (and even beyond). And just imagine how obese those Gazans would be if Israel hadn't in her wisdom decided to put them on a diet.

Quite frankly, those Palestinian ingrates have only themselves to blame. By embracing "Islamic fundamentalism," they "find themselves caught in escalating violence led by zealots who have no interest in any settlement that recognises Israel's right to exist [at their expense]. These leaders are prepared to use the suffering of their own people in a propaganda war against Israel in the Western media [Any suggestion, however, that Israel is milking the plight of its own citizens in Sderot to justify picking off Hamas will not be tolerated]. The success of this propaganda war can be seen in the advertisements, such as the one published today."

That's right, folks, all those signatories are merely the unwitting dupes of foaming Islamic fundamentalists. The fact that the only way they can get their twisted message out is by paying Murdoch for an ad in The Israeli, sorry, The Australian, in no way indicates that Israeli leaders/lobbyists have been so successful in their propaganda war that they've successfully kept that message out of the Murdoch, and other ms presses. Perish the thought!

"We reject the view that the Israeli conflict lies at the root of all the problems in the Middle East and is the trigger for the rise of al-Qa'ida...in truth al-Qa'ida had little to say about Israel or Palestine throughout the 1990s." Oh boy (wearily reaches for copy of Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden (2005), edited by Bruce Lawrence, and scans heading for Bin Laden's first (1994) message - The Betrayal of Palestine).

"As Greg Sheridan wrote..." Nuff said... My good friend, anonymous, has kindly posted the whole kit and kaboodle as an appendix to his own "barbaric display" of gloating over the duped signatories' unwitting commissioning of Phil's Istralia Rhapsody and ed's Hasbara Chorus.

Finally, there were the letters: Jeremy Samuel of Double Bay ("Congratulations to Kevin Rudd and Brendan Nelson..."); Barry Brummer of Sydney ("[Israel[ has walked a tightrope between recognising the rights of its neighbours and securing its own safety."); Ron Parkinson of Avalon ("I think it's safe to say that - short of a nuclear strike from Iran - Israel will still be battling for survival by the time the 100th anniversary comes around."); and Robert Eichel of Bondi Junction, who quoted a 40's Arab Dalek ("This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades.") And who, dare I ask, was on the receiving end of those little dustups?

You can see that the lobby doesn't take too kindly to those who trespass (even if after bribing the proprietor) on its personal press fiefdom, The Israeli, sorry - there I go again - The Istralian.