Ten Years is an Eternity in Politics

"Australia's Jewish leaders have praised Scott Morrison's attack on the UN's 'anti-Semitic agenda' as the nation celebrates 70 years of diplomatic relations with Israel." (PM praised for UN swipe over Israel, Richard Ferguson, The Australian, 20/2/19)

Did you know that "the nation" (aka Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten) has been singing Happy Birthday to You/Israel in federal parliament?

Think about it! There are 193 nations in the world - but only one that I'm aware of gets a bipartisan birthday bash every 10 years in federal parliament. And that's an apartheid state! Now how crazy is that?

Morrison used the opportunity, predictably, to berate the UNGA, "the place where Israel is bullied and where anti-Semitism is cloaked in language about human rights," while Shorten intoned the usual Labor mantra about Doc Evert being in the delivery room at the birth.

The aforementioned "Jewish leaders," by the way, constitute a veritable roll call of Israel lobbyists in Australia:

AIJAC's Colin Rubenstein - "Prime Minister Morrison was entirely correct in his reflections on the lopsided 'bias and unfair targeting' of Israel at the UN. Israel, a thriving 'beacon of democracy in the Middle East' with an independent judiciary, has been subject to overwhelmingly more criticism than any other country." (ibid)

Anti-Defamation Commission's Dvir Abramovich - "The PM... should be saluted for naming and calling out the UN's institutional anti-Israel bias, and for his iron-clad assurance Australia will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel against those hostile forces who wish to demonise and defame her."

Executive Council of Australian Jewry's Alex Ryvchin - "We commend the Prime Minister for vowing to stand with Israel at the UN, and for condemning the hypocrisy and double standards in its obsessive and disproportionate focus on criticising Israel."

Zionist Association of Australia's Jeremy Liebler - "Western countries who lay sole blame on Israel for the ongoing conflict in the Middle East bear real responsibility for the continuation of Hamas' terror activities."

Still, Israel's 70th was a pretty low key affair when compared with the lavish party thrown by former Labor PM Kevin Rudd back in March, 2008, for Israel's 60th. (See my 6 posts on the subject, all titled The Israeli Occupation of Federal Parliament.) Suffice it to recall Rudd's magnificent, gem-encrusted gift to Israel at the time, namely the following parliamentary motion:

"That the House: (1) celebrate and commend the achievements of the State of Israel in the 60 years since its inception; (2) remember with pride and honour the important role which Australia played in the establishment of the State of Israel as both a member state of the UN and as an influential voice in the introduction of Resolution 181 which facilitated Israel's statehood, and as the country which proudly became the first to cast a vote in support of Israel's creation; (3) acknowledge the unique relationship which exists between Australia and Israel; a bond highlighted by our commitment to the rights and liberty of our citizens and encouragement of cultural diversity; (4) commend the State of Israel's commitment to democracy, the Rule of Law and pluralism; (5) reiterates Australia's commitment to Israel's right to exist and our ongoing support to the peaceful establishment of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue; (6) reiterates Australia's commitment to the pursuit of peace and stability throughout the Middle East; (7) on this, the 60th Anniversary of Independence of the State of Israel, pledge our friendship, commitment and enduring support to the people of Israel as we celebrate this important occasion together."

Simply stunning, eh?

Strange to tell, Rudd neglects any mention of Israel's 60th in his recent memoir, Kevin Rudd: The PM Years. Ditto for his grand tour of Israel in December 2010, during which the late Shimon Peres described Israel as being in love with Australia, and Rudd, speaking in Jerusalem's King David Hotel, joked about Menachem Begin's Irgun terrorists back in 1946 "undertaking some interior redesign" of the hotel. (See my 1-4 posts titled The Kevin Rudd Road Show for the details.)

Truly, ten years is practically an eternity in politics.

Kevin Rudd's 'The PM Years'

It is in the nature of political lobbies to operate behind closed doors, away from the public eye. Australia's Israel (or Zionist) lobby is no exception. In fact, it is probably true to say that most Australians are simply unaware of its existence, let alone its powerful hold over our elected representatives, not to mention its relentless policing of the corporate media. And that lack of awareness, to be sure, is just the way the lobby would have it.

Be that as it may, given the Israel lobby's hugely successful impact on Middle East policy formulation by governments from both sides of the political divide, as well as its equally successful role in shaping and managing mainstream media discourse on the Middle East, any inside account of its modus operandi is more than welcome. Recent memoirs, by former foreign minister Bob Carr, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, and journalists John Lyons and Mike Carlton, have helped expose the lobby's interventions and manipulations in these two key areas. Indeed, judging by their revelations, it could be said that we are approaching critical mass here - to the point where no truly sentient Australian can any longer feign ignorance of either the Israel lobby's existence or its clout.

I've already mined Carr's Diary of a Foreign Minister (2014) and John Lyons' Balcony Over Jerusalem for their insights. As time permits, I'll move on to Carr's Run for Your Life (2018) and Carlton's On Air (2018) in later posts. For now, I'll deal here with Rudd's Kevin Rudd: The PM Years (2018), annotating where necessary:

"Then there was the question of Israel. Back in 2003, under the Howard government, the Israeli intelligence services had taken it into their heads to use forged Australian passports in one of their operations abroad. They had been found out. Dennis Richardson, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation at the time, had hauled them over the coals. The Israelis had been forced to sign an agreement with us that if we were to continue intelligence cooperation with them in the future, they would never do this again. Obviously the Israelis had not taken us seriously, because they did it again - this time in a botched intelligence operation which culminated in the assassination of a Hamas leader visiting Dubai. Mossad had left their paw prints all over the operation. The Israeli authorities plainly did not care that by using and abusing Australian passports, they were placing at risk not just the integrity of our passport system but, more importantly, the safety and security of hundreds of thousands of Australians who travelled on these passports through the Middle East each year.

"The matter was brought to the National Security Committee of the cabinet. Dennis Richardson, who had recently been appointed secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs by our government, was an experienced senior diplomat of the old school. His advice to us was unequivocal: unless Australia wished to be seen as a 'soft touch' by the Israelis, we had to act firmly and decisively. We should expel the Mossad representative at the Israeli embassy in Canberra, and make public our reasons for doing so. Only then would it be considered a significant enough issue in Israel to force the political arm of the government to rein Mossad in.

"I looked around the room. Everyone was nodding in agreement - except Julia [Gillard]. I asked her explicitly whether she supported the recommendation. She grunted her assent. I knew for a fact that Julia had been cultivating a close relationship with the Israeli lobby in Australia. There was nothing wrong with that, particularly given her own pro-Palestinian background from her days as a left-wing political activist. I was also conscious that her partner, Tim, had gone to work for a prominent member of the Jewish community in Melbourne. I didn't want any fractures in the government on this one."

Just how close Gillard's relationship with the Israel lobby was is explored in some detail in Carr's Diary of a Foreign Minister. For the details, I refer you in particular to my posts The Carr Diary: Reflections 4, 5 & 6 (18-20/4/14) and my 18/1/13 post The Prime Minister who Put Her Job on the Line for Israel.

With respect to Rudd's assertion that Gillard had a "pro-Palestinian background from her days as a left-wing political activist," he is mistaken. Just the opposite is the case. (See my post 14/8/10 post The Real Julia Gillard.)

"When [foreign minister] Stephen Smith made our position public, the Israeli government was less than impressed. Their ambassador, Yuval Rotem, came in to protest. And that's when the complaints from the Australian Jewish lobby started to come in thick and fast. I had no qualms about saying publicly that the decision by Israeli intelligence services to use and abuse the Australian passport system was not the action of a friendly government. I then said as much to Prime Minister Netanyahu, and I told him I expected him to take action against Mossad.

"Colin Rubenstein, a leading conservative political activist from Sydney, and Mark Leibler from Melbourne went off their heads. How could Australia have the temerity to treat our friend and ally Israel in such cavalier fashion? How could we be certain that Mossad had done this? Surely we were mistaken... And even if Mossad had done it, weren't such things done on a regular basis in the ugly world of intelligence? I was then lobbied by our own Jewish members of parliament, led by Michael Danby and Mark Dreyfus. They came to see me, demanding that I 'do something'. My response was to ask what they would have done if they were either foreign minister or prime minister of a country and another country had forged their passports in order to assassinate someone who at that stage was under the protection of another country (the UAE) with whom Australia also had a close relationship."

Rubenstein is the executive director of Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) and Leibler is its national chairman. AIJAC is based in Melbourne.

"However, out of respect for my parliamentary colleagues, I suggested that we invite leading members of the Jewish community to the Lodge for dinner to discuss the matter further. The dinner was held on 3 June, and I remember the evening well. I sat there politely as Mark Leibler berated me for having committed a hostile act. I found this remarkable as I had been a strong defender of the state of Israel from the earliest days of my diplomatic career and had always been a vigorous campaigner against all forms of anti-Semitism. And for Leibler to attack the democratically elected prime minister of his country as he sought to argue the interests of another country was beyond the pale.

"'You do realise that this is Israel's second offence?' I said. 'What do you mean?' he asked. 'They did exactly the same under Howard, got a gentle rap over the knuckles, and promised never to do it again.' Leibler looked stunned. 'I don't believe you.' 'Then why don't you sit down with the head of Foreign Affairs, who is the former head of ASIO, and I'll authorise him to brief you on exactly what has happened here,' I countered. 'I think you'll find that our response to Israel's actions has been entirely reasonable under the circumstances.'

"Leibler still stared at me in disbelief. And then disbelief turned to anger. Apropos of nothing, he said, 'Julia is looking very good in the public eye these days, Prime Minister. She's performing very strongly. She's a great friend of Israel. But you shouldn't be anxious about her, should you, Prime Minister?' It was Leibler at his menacing worst." (Kevin Rudd: The PM Years, 2018, pp 282-84)

Rudd's dinner at the Lodge is the subject of a most interesting report by Peter Hartcher, the Sydney Morning Herald's international editor, for which see my 22/6/10 post The Best Israel Policy Money Can Buy. See also the account of same in The Australian Jewish News, quoted in my 11/6/10 post Those Irresistable Zionist Pheromones Again 2.

Sadly, "Leibler at his menacing worst" was not the wake-up call that Rudd needed on the matter of Israel, because just over a year later we find him, with Danby, in a Melbourne Max Brenner outlet condemning those advocating its boycott. A more disillusioned Rudd can be seen later in Carr's 2014 Diary of a Foreign Minister, for which see my 20/4/14 post The Carr Diary Reflections 6. Finally, we have the Israel critic of later years, for which see my 23/2/17 post Rudd & Netanyahu Cross Swords, as well as the following  passage from his memoir:

"Elsewhere on the international front there was good news to be had. In October 2012, nearly five years after I had launched the initial campaign, the news finally came through of Australia's extraordinary win for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Gillard was never an enthusiast. Through the influence of her 'Middle East Advisor', Bruce Wolpe, Gillard had already begun unravelling a number of Australian votes on UN General Assembly resolutions on Palestine in order to appease the far-right Jewish lobby in Melbourne. When I was prime minister and foreign minister, Australia's voting profile on Israel had changed from one of unquestioning compliance with US and Israeli interests, to one which was much more aligned with British voting patterns in the UN. Our votes were still more sympathetic to Israel than those of the rest of Europe. But this was not good enough for Gillard. The far-right Jewish lobby in Melbourne wanted to go back to the good old days of the Howard government. And Gillard wanted to deliver. This would be coordinated through her loyal operative Wolpe to ensure that Australia would once again join the likes of the US, Palau and maybe two or three other Pacific micro-states, in voting against UN General Assembly resolutions that were critical of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. It was no surprise that Gillard would later be awarded, together with Abbott, an honorary doctorate at an Israeli university for her services to the cause. The only problem was that these were not services to Australia's cause. They were services to the Israeli Government's cause under prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his total opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state." (pp 508-09)

Of course, Rudd still hasn't broken through his childhood/religious/Labor Party conditioning to arrive at a real understanding of the dark apartheid heart of the Zionist project in Palestine, and probably never will, but at least he's experienced a learning curve of sorts.

When Zionists Urge

The "independent, always" Sydney Morning Herald is now almost as much a conveyor belt for Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) propaganda as Murdoch's Australian.

In today's AIJAC emission, Colin Rubenstein, AIJAC's executive director, informs us, essentially, that Iran is a rogue state, run by extremists - a classic case, of course, of the pot calling the kettle black.

Particularly touching is his tender concern for the "long-suffering" people of Iran. What a mensch!

But it's this that really gets me heaving:

"Australia needs a clear and consistent position that should be based on Australia's national interest in robustly addressing the threat posed by a belligerent, expansionist and irresponsible (pot/kettle/black again!) Iran." (Australia must face the new Iran reality, 13/8/18)

A Zionist operative pontificating on the subject of Australia's "national interest"?

Think about that!

Was it not Zionist operatives, otherwise known as neocons, who were instrumental in persuading the Americans that it was in their national interest to invade Iraq in 2003? And, hey, didn't that end well?

And was it not Zionist operatives, in the form of Chaim Weizmann's Zionist Organisation, who persuaded Lord Balfour and his colleagues in 1917 that it was in Britain's national interest to lay the foundations of a Jewish State in Palestine? And, hey, how has that turned out?

And don't forget: when a Zionist operative urges us to "robustly address" a "threat," think what he means by that word 'robust'.

Think Deir Yassin, or Sabra & Shatila. Think operations Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense and Protective Edge. Think death, hell and the grave.

Have a nice day!

The Sydney Morning Herald is a Disgrace

Locals channel their disapproval (Andrew Taylor) runs the headline on page 12 of the print edition of yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald.

"Residents," it goes on to tell us "are not impressed with the developer's latest plan for the Channel Nine site on Sydney's north shore." The report, which dominates the page, is accompanied by a photograph of 11 residents, one of whom displays a placard which reads, 'Channel 9 is back again: it's too high, too dense'.

Well, good on those residents! I wish them and their cause well. It's not them but the Sydney Morning Herald itself that is the subject of this angry post.

On the very same day (17/12) as those 11 residents gathered for their north shore photoshoot, thousands of Sydney residents, largely from Western Sydney, gathered at Sydney Town Hall to protest Trump's decision to recognise Israeli control over Jerusalem. They flooded Town Hall Square, and then, after speeches, marched down George Street to the American consulate in Martin Place, chanting their outrage all the way.

And yet, incredibly, there wasn't so much as a mention of their presence or outrage in the pages of the SMH.

Not, mind you, that the Herald ignored the local response to the issue entirely. After all, they saw fit to devote an entire opinion piece, Recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a welcome, symbolic move  - by Israel lobbyist Colin Rubenstein, executive director of Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) - to it.

Of course, you could conclude that the Herald is simply under the thumb of the Israel lobby, but I'm inclined to see an element of racism here. Whatever the precise motive, or mix of motives, behind the Herald's appalling failure to report the spirited activism of thousands of protesters in Sydney's CBD, the Herald, which claims on its masthead to be 'Independent. Always.', is an utter disgrace.

Ziopedia?

Spot the interesting phrase:

"These four anniversaries [31/10/17 Beersheba; 2/11/17 Balfour; 29/11/47 Partition; Sadat in Jerusalem 19/11/77] outline an amazing story - perhaps the 20th century's most successful and inspiring story of self-determination and an ethnic people building a thriving new nation-state." (Out of the Great War was born a great new democracy, Colin Rubenstein, The Australian, 29/11/17)

IOW, providing one accepts, against all the evidence, the Zionist claim that Jews are an ethnic group, Israel is an ethnocracy. If, however, one insists, correctly, that Jews are a religious group, then Israel should be defined as a theocracy. Either way, its polity is completely at odds with our own multi-ethnic and multi-religious conception of the state, a matter our Israel-loving politicians seek to gloss over at every turn.

***

In any case, while googling the term 'ethnic group', I noted this downright peculiar definition on Wikipedia: "An ethnic group is a group of people who are considered to be the same in some... ways. They may all have the same ancestors, speak the same language, or have the same religion."

The same Wikipedia entry also goes on to refer to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976), and specifically Article 27, as "ensuring the rights of ethnic groups." One may be forgiven, therefore, for assuming that Article 27 of the ICOCAPR supports Wikipedia's definition of 'ethnic group' as including religion.

If, however, we look up Article 27, we read: "In those states in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist... " As can be seen, ethnic minorities and religious minorities are clearly separate categories.

The question arises, therefore: has this particular Wikipedia entry been the subject of a Zionist makeover? (Note too, Rubenstein's reference to "self-determination." This fundamental political right (routinely denied the Palestinians) is the thrust of ICOCAPR's Article I(1): "All peoples have the right of self-determination.")

Finally, compare the Wikipedia definition with that of the Encyclopedia Britannica: "Ethnic group, a social group or category of the population that, in a larger society, is set apart and bound together by common ties of race, language, nationality, or culture." (britanicca.com)

Religion is nowhere to be found.

FYI: See my 11/3/17 post Wikipedia Warning.

John Lyons' Book Featured in Guardian

Some choice excerpts from Pro-Israel advocates in Australia targeted three journalists, new book claims (Amanda Meade, 29/7/17):

*Lyons, Sophie McNeill (ABC) and Peter Cave (ABC) "were subjected to consistent pressure from the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC)." AIJAC "prepared dossiers on Cave and other ABC reporters 'and sent them to like-minded journalists and members of parliament'."

*Lyons "says the former editor of the Weekend Australian Nick Cater refused to publish [Lyon's] work and the pro-Israel lobby bombarded editors with criticism of his reports. 'I phoned Cater and he confirmed that he'd asked for my work to no longer appear in the Inquirer... I let [editor-in-chief Chris] Mitchell know that... the exclusion from the Inquirer was just the latest in a long series of disagreements with Nick Cater... he intervened and told Cater that excluding me from the Inquirer was not acceptable."

*"Lyons writes that an Israeli embassy official was invited by Cater to the Australian's head office in Canberra, and told editors that the embassy was not happy with them. 'To me the idea of an officer of a foreign government wandering the floor of my newsroom criticising me was outrageous'."

*"In 2015, AIJAC sent a file on McNeill to Jewish members of the ABC board, including the then chairman James Spigelman, and this file claimed among other things that she was unsuitable because she had said 'one of the saddest things I've seen in my whole life is spending time filming in a children's cancer ward in Gaza'." The then ABC managing director Mark Scott ordered a detailed response from corporate affairs, which he took to the board. 'I will not cower to the AIJAC,' Scott said, according to Lyons. Scott was also forced to defend McNeill from attacks at Senate estimates after the dossier was sent to key parliamentarians."

*"Lyons writes that AIJAC director Colin Rubenstein had unprecedented access to the Australian, speaking regularly to editors and even suggesting articles the paper should run... Mitchell, who was supportive of Lyons, later told him that Rubenstein would go behind his back and call Cater if he refused to take his call, Lyons writes."

*"Lyons argues that Australian journalists should not accept the trips to Israel organised by the lobby - 'During my time in Israel I would come to believe that Australia's uncritical support of Israel is both illogical and unhealthy,' he writes. 'For more than 20 years, Australians have read and heard pro-Israel positions from journalists, editors, politicians, trade union leaders, academics and students who have returned from the all-expenses-paid Israel lobby trips. In my opinion, no editors, journalists or others should take those trips: they grotesquely distort the reality and are dangerous in the sense that they allow people with a very small amount of knowledge to pollute Australian public opinion'."

John Lyons Lifts the Lid on the Israeli Occupation of Australia's MSM

I picked up a copy of John Lyons' memoir, Balcony Over Jerusalem yesterday. Just a scan is enough to show that, despite its deficiencies (which can be left to another post), this is an important book. Lyons, of course, was The Australian's Jerusalem-based Middle East correspondent from 2009 to 2015. Tellingly, The Australian, like the Fairfax press, has no such job category these days.

If Bob Carr's 2014 Diary of a Foreign Minister is the first book published in this country to blow the whistle on the malign impact of the Israel lobby on Australia's Palestine/Israel policy, Lyons' book is the first to do so on the lobby's equally malign impact on Australia's journalistic coverage of the Palestine/Israel conflict. As such it should be read (as should Carr's book) by every Australian with any pretensions to political awareness.

In addition to exposing this largely under-the-radar aspect of the Australian mainstream media, Balcony Over Jerusalem is also a chronicle of the quotidian barbarities inflicted on the Palestinian people by Israel's military machine on behalf of its vile and expanding settler ultras.

To quote an example of each of these strands, a) the lobby's corruption of journalism, and b) the cruelty of the Israeli occupation:

a) "As SMH Deputy Editor, I found my phone began ringing with requests for meetings with leaders of the Jewish community... Usually the caller was Robert Klarnet, the public affairs director of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. The board would later coordinate tours in partnership with the Melbourne-based Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC). It has become almost a rite of passage for deputy editors of an major Australian news outlet to be offered a 'study trip' to Israel. Colin Rubenstein, the head of AIJAC, told me that AIJAC has sent at least 600 Australian politicians, journalists, political advisers, senior public servants and student leaders on these trips over the last 15 years. It is my assessment that by 'educating' rising media executives, the Israeli lobby has in place editors who 'understand' the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Today, I barely know an Australian newspaper executive who has not been on one of these trips." (pp 16-17)

b) "So much of this conflict happened quietly. From our balcony, if we looked really carefully at the rolling hills between us and Jordan, we could see a tiny Palestinian house 300 metres in front of us, in East Jerusalem. It had a single light, and two or three goats in the yard. From a distance, we got to know this family - its habits, its movements, its celebrations. We'd see the children head off to school each morning. During the day their father herded goats on the hill.

"The oldest child was doing his final year at school, and there's a Palestinian tradition that if a student graduates the family lets off fireworks. It's a way of letting the neighbourhood know the news. We knew what day the results of the final exams were due so we watched to see whether fireworks were let off that night. We saw several other homes in the valley celebrating - then came fireworks from the little house. The boy had passed.

"Then one morning the little house was gone. The Israeli Army had come while we were asleep and bulldozed it, claiming it was an illegal structure. The little house had been part of our lives. Sylvie, Jack and I decided to walk down the valley to speak to the family. The army had demolished everything except the stairway. When we arrived we found the owner sweeping it.

"It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. A broken man sweeping his stairway to nowhere." (pp 9-10)

Buy it!

Et Tu, ECAJ & AIPAC?

Over at News Corpse, Greg Sheridan's fairly beside himself at the First Coming of King Bibi. Even Fairfax has plonked its useless bum on the proverbial fence for the occasion, with a pro (Anthony Bergin) and a con (Stuart Rees) on its opinion pages. But this week's (17/2) Australian Jewish News is strangely silent on the subject, no front cover pic of the Zionist Messiah, no editorial encomiums, nothing really.

Could this AJN report on page 3 possibly have anything to do with it?:

"Australian Jewish leaders have expressed concern over Israel's controversial new legislation on settlements, describing the law which would retroactively legalise an estimated 4000 West Bank settler homes built on privately own Palestinian land as 'troubling' and 'counterproductive'. In a joint statement, Executive Council of Australian Jewry [ECAJ] president Anton Block and executive director Peter Wertheim said the Regulation Law passed by the Knesset last week, which prevents the government demolishing the homes and forces the landowners to accept compensation, is 'very troubling'. 'It seeks to legalise retroactively outposts that were built on land in the West Bank that had been privately owned by Palestinians. At the time they were built these outposts were illegal under Israeli law,' Block and Wertheim noted. Stating that the law was enacted 'despite the opposition of the Attorney-General of Israel', they said, 'Both he and the Defence Minister, as well as many legal experts, are predicting that the law will be successfully challenged in the Supreme Court of Israel. We can only hope that occurs, reaffirming that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that is a democracy governed by the rule of law'." (Leaders unsettled by settlement legislation)

OMFG, they're criticising Israeli colonisation here, folks! ECAJ is criticising core Zionist business, namely the theft and settlement of any and every bit of Palestinian land they can possibly lay their hands on!

So WTF is going on here? These boZos have spent their entire lives cheering on, and otherwise aiding and abetting, Israel's colonisation of occupied (River-to-Sea) Palestine, but this latest land grab is a bridge too far? C'mon, guyZ, talk about swallowing the proverbial camel but straining at the proverbial gnat.

But lest one think that the Zcales have at last fallen entirely from their eyes, Block and Wertheim are really only worried that "this episode will... have  the 'unfortunate effect of feeding the false narrative that settlements are the primary reason for the absence of peace and will provide the Palestinians with a further excuse to keep avoiding a return to direct negotiations with Israel'."

(As Yishai Fleisher, the International spokesman of the Jewish community of Hebron, said in the New York Times recently: "Israel never seems to have a good answer to accusations against the settlement enterprise. Whenever the claim that Israel stole Palestinian lands is heard, Israel's answers inevitably are: 'We invented the cellphone,' 'We have gay rights,' 'We fly to help Haiti after an earthquake.' Obvious obfuscation. And when pushed to explain why the much-promised two-state solution is perenially stuck, the response is always to blame Arab obstructionism." (A settler's view of Israel's future, 14/2/17))

But there's more:

"Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) national chairman Mark Leibler and executive director Colin Rubenstein said AIJAC believes the bill is a 'counterproductive and unwise piece of legislation aimed at pandering to fringe constituencies at the expense of Israel's integrity and image abroad'."

Whaaat?! Did they say "fringe"? As in 'lunatic fringe'? OMFG, they're calling Israeli colonisers, pioneers, FFS, who are merely doing what Zionist colonisers, formerly known as kibbutzniks, have been doing ever since Balfour gave them Britain's blessing in 1917, lunatics! Can you believe it?

Nonetheless, they too insist that "the Palestinian refusal to negotiate, not settlements" is "the biggest barrier to peace."

(Reread Fleisher.)

Seriously - well, not really - you've got to feel sorry for the current King of the Colonies once he gets to Sydney. Should Block, Wertheim, Leibler and Rubes draw too close to Caesar, will he fix them with his eye, and ask, Et tu, ECAJ & AIJAC?

Whited Sepulchres

Not one, not two, but three Zionist lobbyists in three days in the mainstream press. Top that!

And all pointing the finger at, and pontificating on, the likes of Pauline Hanson, Sonia Kruger and 'Islamism', while of course ignoring the evils of the apartheid state, the defence of which is their real shtick.

Never has Matthew 23:27 seemed more appropriate: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

1) The Executive Council of Australian Jewry's Peter Wertheim:

"Hanson has often denied that her views and her party's policies have anything to do with racism and bigotry, but it is difficult to see how else one can characterise her numerous public pronouncements attributing negative behaviour and traits to groups of people on account of their ethnic or religious background..." (Perils of Pauline far from unique, The Australian, 18/7/16)

You mean like the numerous public pronouncements attributing negative behaviour and traits to Palestinian Arabs regularly heard in Israel?

2) The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council's Colin Rubenstein:

"This ideology is best described as Islamism, a violent, totalitarian ideology which argues all political and social problems can be resolved by returning to an imagined version of the Islamic caliphate which existed in the time of the prophet. This ideology is a political belief system - like communism or fascism - and not at all the same as the religion, Islam." (Let's speak clearly on Islamism, Sydney Morning Herald, 20/7/16)

You mean like political Zionism, a violent, totalitarian ideology which argues all political and social problems can be resolved for Jews by returning to an imagined version of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah which existed in the Iron Age?

3) The Australia/ Israel & Jewish Affairs Council's Mark Leibler:

"As a person of the Jewish faith, racism and its consequences are etched into my soul. Racism robs a people of their choices and opportunities, their homes, their livelihoods and their sense of confidence and security." (Lurches to the right reveal racism is the problem, not the solution, The Australian, 20/7/16)*

You mean like Zionist apartheid robs the Palestinian people of their choices and opportunities, their homes, their livelihoods, and indeed their very lives?

They Also Serve Who Only Stand and Rambam

How lucky are the constituents of these Victorian LABOR MPs, recently returned from AIJAC's Rambam Israel Fellowship Program propaganda tour of Israel:

Lizzie Blandthorn (referred to as a 'pro-life warrior' in the press and aligned with the Shortcon (Shorten/Conroy) faction of the ALP)
Colin Brooks (parliamentary secretary to the premier)
Josh Bull
(Sir) Don Nardella (deputy speaker and dog lover extraordinaire)
Ros Spence
Marsha Thomson (Parliamentary Friends of Israel co-convenor and 2013 rambamee)
Vicky Ward
Paul Edbrooke
Nick Staikos
Gabrielle Williams

For, in the words of AIJAC Executive Director Colin Rubenstein, these select individuals have been "expose[d]... to various aspects of Israel, and to the complexities of both Israel's and the Palestinians' situation..." (AIJAC welcomes MPs on their return from Israel, jwire.com, 14/5/16)

Their constituents will no doubt be champing at the bit, eager to have those "complexities" explained by those they voted for.

But wait - what's this?:

"The group came back with more questions than answers."

OK... so let me revise my last sentence, but one:

Their constituents will no doubt be champing at the bit, eager to hear the "questions" brought back by those they voted for.

A Year is a Long Time in Federal Politics

Craig Laundy MP said this in federal parliament on 1/12/14:

"We hear the constant reference to the two-state solution [but] I believe this is used as a line to hide behind..."  & "If you look at the Middle East [today]... we can trace it pretty much back to this region some 60 or 70 years ago. Anyone who stands in this place and argues differently is not being fair dinkum." (See my 18/2/16 post Craig Laundy MP Gets It)

Now, in The Australian Jewish News of 19/2/16, we read:

"He later told The AJN that he supported a two-state solution and he meant to convey that he would like to see more done. 'I never have, nor will I, place the blame for the range of current issues in the region solely with Israel or any other state,' he said. Laundy reiterated his support for a two-state solution this week. 'Both the Australian government's and my long-standing position is that we remain committed to Israel and a Palestinian state existing side by side in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders,' he told The AJN. 'As Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, I very much look forward to working side by side with the Australian Jewish community and building on the wonderful relationships that I have established during my time in Parliament within the community'." (Laundy's controversial past)

Is The AJN's coverage kosher? If so, what happened?

Did the lobby perhaps follow the advice of the always charming and forever lovely Liat Kirby-Nagar?

"You [Colin Rubenstein] should have come out fighting on this one, not pander... in smarmy tones to a man whose sum of experience rests in his own electorate, and always will. The only way to deal with him is full on. He should be forced to consider the Israeli perspective... Our Jewish leaders need to command respect, and maintain dignity; this will not happen by playing diplomatic games with a man whose sympathies lie elsewhere and whose intellectual capacity appears limited. If Laundy can't broaden his horizon he should go. Is he still the co-chair of The Friends of Palestine? If so, he should relinquish that position as it's not appropriate to his new role..." (Comment to Eager to meet a new member of the ministry, jwire.com.au, 17/2/16)

Craig... are you OK?

Here Comes the Rain!

M'Lord Turnbull's elevation of Craig Laundy, the member for Reid, to the post of Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs has triggered alarm bells in Lobbyland.

Is there no rest for these eternally vigilant warriors for Zionism?

No sooner have they staved off one existential threat from the NSW Labor grassroots, than M'Lord Turnball throws them this Liberal curveball. At any rate, loins have been girded and talking points sharpened. Operation Inundation has begun.

Here are those talking points, both text and subtext:

Peter Wertheim (Executive Council of Australian Jewry - ECAJ):

"The ECAJ will be seeking a meeting with the Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs at the earliest opportunity. Many of our community's most pressing concerns fall within his portfolio - the recrudescence of antisemitism, communal security costs and threats to religious freedoms... We believe that the Asst Min well understands that the responsibility of government is to promote social cohesion, not discord." (Eager to meet a new member of the ministry, jwire.com.au, 17/2/16)

Translation:

It's all about us, ourselves and we. And us, ourselves and we is all about Israel. You see, Mr Laundy, airing doubts about Israel is merely how it begins. Then, before you know it, the social fabric, which rests entirely on love of Israel, is rent and life in Australia will become solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short in the Hobbesian manner. Now you wouldn't want to be responsible for that, would you, Mr Laundy?

Colin Rubenstein (Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council - AIJAC):

"While we have certainly had our concerns about Craig Laundy in the past, especially in terms of his poorly-informed, one-sided comments on Israel and the Middle East we look forward to constructively engaging with him in his new role... We hope his knowledge of Israel and the broader Middle East... will grow, and anticipate he will both better understand and endorse his Government's commendable policies towards Israel and the peace process..."

Translation:

We've got a 5-star re-education camp study tour in the vibrant Land of Our Dreams lined up for you, Mr Laundy. All the right people have been there and done that, and all have returned with the right ideas and singing like canaries. Take Ms Plibersek for instance. She too started out frothing at the mouth. That we could ignore from a mere MP, but once she began to rise through the ranks we had no option but to, as we like to put it - constructively engage - with her. Constructive engagement, you see, is our specialty. We've had almost a hundred years of experience at it. No 'immovable object' has ever been able to withstand our irresistable force. Oh, yes, Mr Laundy, initially she kicked and she screamed, but a few constructive engagement sessions soon wore her down and she eventually took the cure tour. Now look at her! Almost Labor leader! Do you see my point, Mr Laundy? Think about it...

Michael Danby MP:

"Malcolm Turnbull might charm Jewish audiences in Wentworth by joking about being a member of Mishpocha,' but I think the community has a right to be disappointed with his choice for the Multicultural Affairs portfolio... His APAN-inspired 2014 speech on 'International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People,' during which he claimed 'the lobby' was restricting free speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and that Israel's creation was the source of all today's unrest in the Middle East, was as ugly a sentiment as it was factually and historically incorrect. But more than that, inflammatory comments like that are the antithesis of Multiculturalism, and can only serve to create division between communities..."

Translation:

Listen up, Laundy. First, do you know who I am? Right! I'm sooo disappointed in you. Not to mention Mishpocha Malcolm. Second, how very, very dare you! Third - and let's get this straight once and for all - because you obviously weren't paying attention in Sunday school - my mob wrote the script on the Middle East, OK? G-d gave it to us, not them, not just 60 or 70 years ago, but thousands of years ago. So don't think you can just swan around in this joint, shooting off your mouth, without hearing from me, OK?

Pray for the soul of Craig Laundy.

The Day Sharri Markson Went Feral

This is really too delicious... Journalist Sharri Markson detained on Israeli visit, Matthew Knott, Sydney Morning Herald, 22/11/15. (Annotations - mine, all mine):

"A prominent Australian journalist..."

"If little Sharri-pops is a 'journalist' then I'm a Kardashian," tweeted Mike Carlton in response to the above revelation. (23/11/15)

"... was detained by Israeli security officials in tense scenes last week during a visit to a hospital treating victims of the Syrian civil war."

Oh yes, that hospital. Ziv. Strange place, Ziv.

Must be the only 'hospital' in the Western world that patches up 'Syrian' jihadis and doubles as as a pilgrimage centre for rambamming foreign politicians and journalists experiencing the joy of Israeli apartheid.

"Sharri Markson, a senior writer at The Australian..."

Sharri-pops has had an interesting career trajectory: Cleo>Media Editor of The Australian>Senior writer - whatever that is - at The Australian. She first came to my attention for her coverage of/revelry in Mike Carlton's harassment by Fairfax management for speaking out against the Israeli cauldronisation of Gaza last year.  

"... was detained for questioning by security officials at the Ziv Medical Centre in northern Israel on Thursday. Markson was travelling with other Australian journalists on a week-long study tour organised by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council."

Study tour? Pull the other! Remember my definition of the verb Rambam?: "To be sponsored by smooth-talking Israel lobbyists in Australia for a grooming session conducted by tough-talking PR people in Israel, with a view to the sponsored adopting the missionary position for Israel, when required, in Australia. Usually used in relation to Australian politicians, media hacks and other useful fools." (For those interested in just how widespread this practice is, see my 30/3/09 post I've been to Israel too.) 

"Sources said..."

Knott can only mean fellow rambammer Bevan Shields, Fairfax Media federal politics editor.

"... Markson became 'aggravated' during the 'tense' incident in which security officials demanded she hand over her passport, mobile phone and notes. 'It was very intense and dramatic, a source said. 'There was a major commotion and suddenly there was security everywhere.'"

"Don't you know who I am?! cried little Sharri, stamping a Jimmy Choo in rage. 'You just wait till Chris Mitchell hears about this." (Mike Carlton tweet, 23/11/15)

How I envy that proverbial fly on the wall!

"Over 500 Syrians - including wounded fighters battling the Assad regime - have been treated at the Ziv Medical Centre in Safed, near the Syrian border."

And thereby hangs a (sorry) tale. For the full story on the identity of those wounded fighters battling the Assad regime, see my 3/7/15 post Those Rebels, That Hospital, Our Ambassador & His Wife.

"In a briefing before the tour began, hospital staff told the journalists that the patients could be at risk upon their return to Syria if it became known they had sought treatment in Israel."

Funny how these guys just waltz across the border into Israel, are immediately picked up by waiting ambulances, whisked off to free medical care, patched up, and sent back to fight Asad. Anyone else trying to penetrate Israel's border would be shredded on the spot. Did it ever occur to Sharri-pops or any of her other rambammers to wonder thus. Rhetorical question, of course.

"The hospital uses elaborate methods to secretly transfer the patients in and out of Syria."

Check them out in my 12/12/14 post, A Side of Israel the World Too Rarely Acknowledges.

"The 8 journalists were instructed not to record the names of the patients or to take photos that could identify them."

8! Hands up all those Australian journalists who've been rambammed? My God there are a lot of you!

Now we know about Sharri-pop's mob - see below - but who were the other 4? According to Guardian Australia's Amanda Meade, they were: David Lipson, Sky News political reporter; and Aaron Patrick, print editor of the Australian Financial Review. (Sharri Markson: journalist at The Australian in run-in with Israeli security, 22/11/15)

That accounts for 6, so who were the other 2?  

"Fairfax media understands that during the visit, Markson broke away from the other journalists to speak to the patients without supervision and exchanged contact details with them. This led to her being detained by security forces."

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies supremo, Vic Alhadeff, whose job it was to keep an eye on his charges, attempted to crash tackle Ms. Markson, but proved no match for Markson's Jimmy Choos as he sprawled on the hospital floor to the cheers of the convalescing jihadis. Before the hapless Alhadeff could get to his feet and splutter, 'For G-d's sake, Sharri, he's only after a sex slave,' Ms Markson had swapped email addresses with the hottest jihadi in the ward... and the rest is history.

"Fairfax media understands the incident was resolved following intervention by NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff. Mr Alhadeff, who has returned to Australia, said: 'In that regard, we are very mindful of not disclosing their identity. There was an unfortunate misunderstanding but the situation was quickly resolved'."

Too right you are!

"Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein, who was not on the trip, confirmed a 'kerfuffle' had occurred at the hospital. He said the council representative on the trip told him Markson 'took down the email address of a Syrian patient, security officials got wind of it and asked her about it on the way out. Most times it's very clear to all the participants what the guidelines are."

Although hardly any of them, it seems, are clear about The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance's guidelines/ Code of Ethics: "4. Do not allow personal interest, or any belief, commitment, payment, gift or benefit to undermine your accuracy, fairness or independence."

"It's never been an issue before. The condition of visiting the hospital is to respect and maintain the confidentiality of the patients' identities. If anyone's identity was disclosed it would put them at great risk - it's a brutal part of the world."

As any occupied Palestinian will tell you...

"Other reporters on the trip included Daily Telegraph deputy editor Ben English, Fairfax Media federal politics editor Bevan Shields and Channel 7 reporter Alex Hart."

Zionist Dreaming

What Zionists say among themselves can often be of more interest than what they say to the rest of us.

This observation came to me as I was perusing Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day) 2015, a glossy 24-page supplement that came with the Australian Jewish News of April 24.

One particular item, The state of the State at 120, was of particular interest. It began thus:

"It's Yom Ha'atzmaut 2068. The Israeli sports minister's rocket-boosted El Al flight has just touched down at Ben-Gurion Airport. Nothing remarkable about that. What is remarkable is that only minutes earlier, this regular commercial flight had taken off from Damascus Airport, where the minister was in talks with her Syrian counterpart, making final arrangements for Syrian venues that will be part of the Tel Aviv Olympics... As The AJN celebrates its 120th anniversary, Peter Kohn asks several community members to look into the crystal ball and share their visions of Israel for Yom Ha'atzmaut of 2068, when the Jewish State reaches its 120th birthday."

Well, bully for Israel, I thought, after reading this, but where were the Palestinians in all this navel crystal ball gazing? You know, the ones whose hopes and dreams lie buried under the rubble of dispossession, apartheid and rampant colonisation.

In a word, absent.

Of the 7 contributors, 4 had nothing whatever to say about them. For the record these were Hallely Kimchi (editor of Eton, a newspaper serving Israelis in Australia), Amit Tzur-Tal (executive director and shlichah of the United Israel Appeal Victoria), Richard Balkin (president of the Zionist Council of Australia), and Danny Lamm (president of the Zionist Federation of Australia).

And the remaining 3, those who could at least pay lip service to the 'P' word?

First, there was Ran Porat, who teaches Israel and Middle East Studies at Monash University:

"... the Palestinian issue is solved, thanks to technological developments and perception changes. Both these advances enable Palestinians to prosper in a viable and lively entity, in harmony and cooperation with the economy and culture of the State of Israel."

Technological developments and perception changes?

What, give them laptops and vouchers to see a shrink?

A viable and lively entity?

Entity? Porat can't even bring himself to utter the word 'state'!

And where may this entity be located? In Jordan? On the moon?

Then came Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC):

"Palestine, having emerged after the international community started supporting direct negotiations between the parties, leading to a comprehensive peace agreement, has partnered with Israel in attempts to build a viable economy and democratic institutions. The vast amount of global and Palestinian effort that had been used to demonise Israel, to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine and perpetuate the refugee issue before the agreement, has been redirected into modernising Palestinian society and its economy."

The international community, so-called, has returned to the good old 'peace process' for more interminable jaw jaw (as more and more settlers flood onto what's left of Palestinian land); UNRWA, if not the UN, has been terminated; and the issue of Palestinian refugees and their right of return has disappeared into the dustbin of history. Problem solved.

Finally, there's Sam Tatarka, president of the Zionist Council of Victoria:

"The path to Palestinian statehood began in earnest with the passing of the last of the old guard of Palestinian rejectionists and a realisation that the 'right of return' and other demands made in the seemingly endless peace process begun in the closing years of the last century were never going to succeed. Jerusalem remains the undivided capital of Israel... Palestinian government offices in the city barely raise an eyebrow as residents and visitors alike enjoy the freedom and spirit of this wonderful city... The Jerusalem light-rail extension to Ramallah built in the early 2030s continues to serve as a reminder of the baby steps taken between Israel and the Palestinians as they moved to broad economic cooperation and integration over the past three decades."

Just hang in there until the Palestinians have dropped all of their demands, the right of return, East Jerusalem and the rest. Say around 2030. No mention of the settler hordes, of course. Palestinian hewers of wood and drawers of water will ride the light rail from Ramallah into Israel to do all the shit work.

Delusional. 

Palestinian Quislings

Blatant Zionist propaganda in the Sydney Morning Herald from Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC):

"If the international community wants to ensure that any ceasefire agreement prevents yet another bloody Gaza conflict..."

Bloody for whom, Rubes?

"... like the one that ended on August 27, they should be listening to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas."

That's the PA 'president' whose term expired in 2009.

"He has repeatedly criticised Hamas for instigating and then prolonging the war and causing Palestinian suffering, lamenting how 'it was possible for us to avoid all of that, 2000 martyrs, 10,000 injured'. Earlier he had asked of Hamas 'What are you trying to achieve by sending rockets?..."

Here we go again.

Zionism's use of Palestinian quislings to counter and undermine Palestinian resistance to Israeli aggression is as old as the Zionist project itself.

Blanche Dugdale, Lord Balfour's niece, was a gentile Zionist groupie and confidante of Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann in the 30s and 40s. The following entry in her diary alludes to the conflict between the armed Palestinian resistance to British rule (& Zionist colonisation) from 1936-39, led by the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, and the collaborationist opposition led by the Nashashibi clan:

"January 18th [1939] - London... home to tea - then was rung up by Peter Rutenberg, this moment arrived from Palestine. He has been very active there, pinning the moderate Arabs to our side by the usual methods. Fakhri Nashashibi is earning his keep by staying in Jerusalem and shouting aloud that the Mufti and his friends do not represent Palestine." (Baffy: The Diaries of Blanche Dugdale 1936-1947, 1973, p 119)

Sound familiar?

Another reference to Rutenberg and Nashashibi appears in Hillel Cohen's study Army of Shadows: Palestinian Collaboration with Zionism, 1917-1948 (2008).

Writing on the February 1939 London Conference, convened by the British government to discuss Palestine's future governance and involving both Zionist and Palestinian Arab delegations, the latter drawn from the Mufti's Arab Higher Committee, Cohen notes that "the [Nashashibi] opposition had only token representation in the Palestinian delegation, and even that was achieved only after a tenacious struggle. Fakhri Nashashibi himself traveled to London on Zionist funding; it was his friend Pinhas Rutenberg who gave him 4,000 Palestinian pounds to pay for his trip." (pp 132-33)

And, just as the collaborationist Abbas criticises Hamas over Israel's latest wilding in Gaza, Fakhri Nashashibi "considered the [Palestinian] uprising of 1936-39 a 'counterfeit rebellion'." (ibid, p 265)

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

The Bridge on the River Jordan

So Abbottoir (formerly known as Australia) is now lining up with 8 other countries at the UN, including South Sudan and Papua New Guinea, in abstaining from condemning Israeli settlement expansion.

Just so we know who we're giving the old wink & nudge to here, check out this soundbyte from Mr Tz, Israeli settler:

"Leibowitz* is right. We are Judeo-Nazis, and why not?... Even today I am willing to do the dirty work for Israel, to kill as many Arabs as necessary, to deport them, to expel and burn them, to have everyone hate us, to pull the rug from underneath the feet of diaspora Jews, so that they will be forced to run to us crying. Even if it means blowing up one or two synagogues here and there, I don't care. And I don't mind if after the job is done you put me in front of a Nuremberg trial and jail me for life. Hang me if you want as a war criminal... What you lot don't understand is that the dirty work of Zionism is not yet finished, far from it. True, it could have been finished in 1948..." (Here & There in Eretz Israel in the Autumn of 1982, Amos Oz, 1982, pp 70-82)

I wish that were all that Abbottoir got up to this month in the UN, but it's not. Apparently, having abstained, along with 5 other countries, on a resolution calling for Israel to comply, as an occupying power, with the Geneva Conventions, we no longer believe that they apply to Israel.

The Geneva Conventions? Now who'd have thought Abbotoir's leader, Tony Abbott, would be on Colonel Saito's side here:

Colonel Nicholson: I must call your attention, Colonel Saito, to Article 27 of the Geneva Convention. (Reading) Belligerents may employ as workers prisoners of war who are physically fit other than officers...
Colonel Saito: Give me the book!
Nicholson: By all means. You read English I take it?
Saito: Do you read Japanese?
Nicholson: Sorry, no, but if it's a matter of precise translation I'm sure that can be arranged. I see the code specifically states that the... (Saito slaps his face and hurls the book to the ground)
Saito: You speak to me of code? What code? The coward's code. What do you know of the soldier's code? Of Bushido? Nothing! (Grabs Nicholson's swagger stick and breaks it) You are unworthy of command!
Nicholson: Since you refuse to abide by the laws of the civilized world, we must consider ourselves absolved from our duty to obey you. My officers will not do manual labor.
Saito: We shall see.
(The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957)

So if Israel wants to deport Palestinians and replace them with Mr Tz and his mates, that's fine by Abbottoir.

You'll also be pleased to know that AIJAC's Colin Rubenstein "emphatically [welcomed] the government's principled leadership in changing these votes, reverting to the Howard/Downer position." (Tony Abbott quietly shifts UN position to support Israeli settlements, upsetting Palestinians, Jonathan Swan, Sydney Morning Herald, 25/11/13)

Alas, Abbottoir's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was unavailable for comment.

And all Shadow Foreign Minister Tanya (Once Were Warriors) Plibersek could say when asked was: "It's quite extraordinary that [the government] would make such a large change without reporting back to Australians." (Insiders, abc.net.au,  24/11/13)

[*Yeshayahu Leibowitz, 1903-1994]

Silly Question

Do Israel lobbyists, I wonder, ever pause to think before writing things like this:

"[Iran is] a veteran flouter of clear legal obligations with a long history of deliberating [sic] using negotiations merely to buy time." (Pause for a rethink will help West avoid being sold a pup, Colin Rubenstein*, The Australian, 13/11/13)

[*Executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC).]

Danby to Keep Young Bill on Straight & Narrow

"Bill Shorten embodies the traditional core values of the Labor Party, and his solid support for Israel reflects that. Mr Shorten knows, as we do, that bipartisan support for Israel is an integral part of the fabric of our country's foreign policy."(AIJAC national chairman Mark Leibler, The Australian Jewish News, 18/10/13)

While firefighters in NSW are battling desperately to contain and extinguish blazes across the state, a battle of far greater import, unheralded by the media, has been fought by a small band of heroes against a fire that came close to consuming the very core principle - nay, the very heart and soul - of the federal Labor Party: its unshakeable, unswerving, uncritical, river deep and mountain high love for Israel.

Make no mistake about it, in igniting the (dead) wood of the parliamentary Labor party last November, Labor's pyromaniacal foreign minister, Bob Carr, triggered a conflagration that almost destroyed the PM herself!

Still, PMs come and PMs go.

Far, far worse, Carr's incendiary act came close to changing forever the very way we vote - vis-a-vis Israel - in the UN General Assembly.

The good news is that now, with Carr's unlamented departure from Labor's parliamentary ranks, the last burning embers of critical thinking on the subject of Israel have finally been extinguished, and the smoke is beginning to clear to reveal the lineaments of a new party firmly under the control of those for whom Israel is, was, and always shall be, the proverbial light on Labor's hill.

I can now reveal that this epic struggle for the Israeli soul of the Australian Labor Party was won largely by the heroic efforts of one man, Michael Danby MP. After all, as this humble and self-effacing man hinted in a recent tweet, it was his Solomonic wisdom that has guided Bill Shorten ever since the latter fell under his spell while barely out of short pants:

"Known Bill since he was 20. Always thought he'd be PM. Hope my (parliamentary secretary) role contributes to his office projecting serious and adult policies." (17/10/13)

Serious and adult policies? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge...

Still, it should not be forgotten that however great has been Danby's role in seeing off Carr and overseeing Bill Shorten's rise and rise to the wuthering heights of Labor leadership, others too have been risking their all in dousing those last flickering embers of critical thinking (on the subject of Israel):

"ECAJ representatives have met with Tanya Plibersek on several occasions, most recently in Sydney last week. The meeting discussed the differences of opinion we had had with the former government but was friendly and constructive', [said ECAJ president Danny Lamm]." (ECAJ on Plibersek: forgive and forget, The Australian Jewish News, 18/10/13)

And just to make sure that Danby's magic on Shorten doesn't wear off, ECAJ "will be working with him to try to reverse some of the poorly considered statements about Israel that were made in the name of the previous government." (ibid)

And just to make sure that ECAJ's magic on Shorten doesn't wear off, AIJAC's Colin Rubinstein "said he was looking forward to working with Shorten and his shadow cabinet." (ibid)

And just to make sure AIJAC's magic on Shorten doesn't wear off...

Just How Bright is Tony Abbott?

"After a big night out in my fourth year of university, a squad car observed me trying to bend over a street sign in a test of strength with a fellow student." (Tony Abbott, Battlelines, 2009, p 9)

Although Zionist propagandists work hard to suggest the contrary, 'getting' Palestine/Israel is hardly rocket science.

That being the case, you'd think a Rhodes scholar would be able to make short work of the issue, right? Well, there's at least one Rhodes scholar around who finds it all a bit of a struggle - Australia's prime minister-elect, Tony Abbott.

The available evidence suggests that on this particular issue (and who knows on how many others?), Abbott's position hasn't advanced one inch since his university days. That position, needless to say, is one of uncritical, knee-jerk support for Israel.

As the Australian's Paul Kelly put it succinctly: "Abbott knows little about Israel yet his views are fixed." (See my 23/12/12 post Tony Abbott On the Prowl.)

Here's Abbott in 1977, at the age of 20:

"No doubt the silliest thing we did at the [Australian Union of Students] conference [at Monash University] was to attend a Palestinian film night... [W]e heckled the film a bit... the film was stopped and we were told we had to leave." That's Abbott's bestie, the Australian's 'suppository of all wisdom', Greg (Jerusalem Prize) Sheridan, recalling the good old days. (See my 13/9/12 post Greg & Tony Do Monash.)

Abbott, it seems, not only valued ignorance, but strongly believed that others too should be kept in the dark.

Fast forward 23 years to October 2003, and here he is, addressing the Zionist Council of Victoria:

"Tony Abbott has accused the Sydney Peace Prize winner, Palestinian Hanan Ashrawi, of justifying terrorism against civilians, and declared that the Bali bombing has made all Australians 'Israelis now'... Mr Abbott, responding to criticism of Israel by The Australian's columnist Phillip Adams, said it was not 'anti-Semitic to criticise the Israeli government when it's wrong. But what is it, then,' he asked 'to proclaim moral equivalence between an Israeli leadership striving to preserve a liberal, pluralist democracy and Palestinian leadership running a one-party statelet dedicated to destroying its neighbour?" (We're all Israelis now, says Abbott, Dennis Shanahan & Megan Saunders, The Australian, 30/10/03)

Clearly, Abbott hadn't a clue.

In fact, so challenged was he that a tutor had to be engaged to help him out:

"Online magazine crikey.com.au reveals that after federal Health Minister Tony Abbott gave a speech at the annual general meeting of the State Zionist Council last week, he joked about the fact that [Colin] Rubenstein had vetted it, saying: 'Did I get anything wrong? Colin, you better correct it so I get the script right.' Abbott told The Australian that he 'asked Colin to have a look at the speech on the Middle East because he's an expert in a way I'm not'." (Take the free out of speech, Elisabeth Wynhausen, 4/11/03)

And here's our Rhodes scholar, 9 years later, on March 9, 2012, parroting the very same lines at Sydney's Central Synagogue:

"In so many ways, [Israel is] a country so much like Australia, a liberal, pluralist democracy... And yet, we are not threatened in the way Israel was and is, and if we were threatened in the way Israel was and is, I am sure that we would take actions just as strong in our own defence. When Israel is fighting for its very life, well, as far as I'm concerned, Australians are Israelis. We are all Israelis in those circumstances'." (See my 18/3/12 post Abbott: We Are All Israelis.)

Almost a decade on, and still as clueless as ever.

Could Tony Abbott, perhaps, be Australia's answer to George W. Bush?

Try Switching to Fairfax, Rubes

Colin Rubenstein of the Australia-Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) recently experienced a rare, 'Not happy, Rupert!' moment when he noticed the Australian referring to occupied Palestinian territory as, well, 'occupied Palestinian territory'.

As he grumbled in a letter to the paper published on 16 August: "the territory on which [Israeli settlements] are situated is disputed, not occupied, land."

Specifically, Rubes was responding to an August 13 AFP report  - Israel approves further settlements on eve of peace talks.

Then, on August 15, the Australian ran another AFP report - Prisoners freed but talks hit a hurdle - which referred, yet again, to the "occupied West Bank."

Intolerable!

Only time will tell whether Rubes' epistolary intervention will be sufficient to get those subbies at the Australian to pull their fingers out and edit such offending reports.

In the meantime, might I suggest he switch to Fairfax instead?  It's way more Zio-friendly.

Just check it out:

August 13:  

Settlement push on eve of peace talks, Isabel Kershner, Sydney Morning Herald/New York Times: "contested area."

August 15:

Palestine joy as captives released before peace talks, Jonathan Ferziger, SMH/Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times: "land... seized during the 1967 war"

August 16:

Mediators meet in secret amid rising tensions, Isabel Kershner, SMH/New York Times: "disputed areas."

See what I mean?

Will old Rubes get his way? That's the question. Only future editions of the Australian will tell!

And rest assured, MERC will be there to keep you informed.