First Julia Irwin, Now Melissa Parke

"One of the Australian Labor Party's most outspoken opponents of offshore detention, mass surveillance and live animal exports will not contest the next federal election. Melissa Parke, who has represented the West Australian seat of Freemantle since 2007, said she would not seek a fourth term... In the statement on her future, Parke said the role of an informed and engaged backbencher was 'undervalued in the Australian political system, which increasingly favours the executive over the parliament' [and that] 'It has been a pleasure to work with parliamentary colleagues, academics, scientists, experts, industry, unions and community groups on issues such as the abolition of the death penalty, justice for refugees, nuclear disarmament, marine sanctuaries, climate change, press freedom, fair trade, closing the gap, war powers reform, Australian aid, early childhood education, public health, rare diseases, medicinal cannabis, dying with dignity, support for veterans, whistleblower protection, an independent office of animal welfare, an end to gene patenting, and long-overdue justice for the Palestinian, Tibetan, West Papuan and Rohingya peoples'."(Labor MP Melissa Parke, fierce critic of offshore detention, won't recontest seat, Daniel Hurst, theguardian.com, 22/1/16)

Such a shame! I wonder what she was doing in the ALP in the first place, and I wonder which of the myriad issues taken up and listed by her here gave her the most grief as an ALP backbencher. So hard, that one.

Tanya Plibersek Channels Mark Regev

One of the only truly independent voices - as in willing to speak up for Palestine - in the Australian Labor Party was retired Labor MP Julia Irwin.

Irwin once observed that:

"There is certainly a belief [in the Party] that support for Palestine will swiftly end any prospect of a front bench position. Even a hint of offence can result in an immediate, unconditional apology... Labor members will talk about human rights abuse in every corner of the world, but not in Palestine." (See my 11/8/10 post Julia Irwin Spills the Beans.)

The absolute beyond classic case of this bizarre phenomenon today is surely Australia's shadow foreign minister Tanya (Once was Warrior) Plibersek, who, as a mere MP back in 2002, condemned Israel as "a rogue state... led by a war criminal."

Of course, that was long ago, and the various stages of her transformation from one who once spoke up for Palestine into someone who now speaks up for Israel have been, for those interested, documented by this blogger.

Her opinion piece in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald, however, is the first time where I've actually felt she's become a mouthpiece for Israel:

"The Iranian nuclear deal... is significant [but] we need to maintain a healthy degree of scepticism in our dealings with Iran... Australia must continue to steadfastly oppose Iran's human rights abuses, its inciting language towards the United States and Israel, its support of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and its sponsorship of terrorism." (Clear grounds for Australia to remain cautious with Iran despite nuclear deal, 21/1/16)

As for healthy scepticism in our dealings with Israel, steadfast opposition to Israel's human rights abuses, its threats to nuke Iran, its support for creepy crawlies in Syria and its actual, routine terrorism in Occupied Palestine and elsewhere... forget it!

"When Iran tests ballistic missiles... we should speak up."

But of Israel's tried and tested nuclear arsenal, we shall say nothing.

"We must continue to stand up for our values."

Whose values, Tanya???

[*See my 17/10/13 post A Heretic Recants.]

So You Think It's Tough Being a Woman in the Labor Party?

"Women face systemic, cultural and rules-based impediments to participation in the Labor Party, according to a landmark report that urges strengthening affirmative action requirements for selecting candidates, officials and union delegations, and imposing sanctions for failure to comply." (Labor's internal sexism revealed, Troy Bramston, The Australian, 4/7/15)

OK, so Labor's still too blokey for female candidates. But, hey, it could be worse, far worse.

What if the candidate is not only a woman but has also been critical - even ONCE - of Israel as well?

That's when the going really gets tough. That's when a sort of McCarthyite process kicks in: 'Are you now, or have you ever been, a Palestinian sympathiser?'

Think I'm exaggerating? I wish! Just click on the Julia Irwin, Rose Jackson or Tanya Plibersek labels below...

Melissa Parke: Filling Julia Irwin's Shoes

West Australian Labor MP Melissa Parke (Fremantle) courageously tabled Wollongong University political scientist Marcelo Svirsky's pro-Palestine BDS petition in federal parliament last Monday. (See my 1/10/14 post Marcelo Svirsky's Long Walk for Palestine.)

In doing so, she has distinguished herself as the only Australian parliamentarian - Liberal, Labor, Greens or independent - with the guts to speak out plainly in this setting on the subject of Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people. The last federal politician to do so, need I remind you, was the redoubtable Labor MP Julia Irwin, who retired in 2010. (See my 11/8/10 post Julia Irwin Spills the Beans.)

Contrast this abject state of affairs with the recent House of Commons debate, which resulted in British MPs from all parties slamming Israeli criminality and intransigence, and voting 274-12 in support of a Palestinian state. (See my 17/10 post Britain's Responsibility for Palestine.)

 In her speech, Parke noted, in a statement of the bleeding obvious:

"I do wish to dispel some of the misunderstandings around the official BDS campaign, including that its supporters are anti-Semitic and intent on the destruction of Israel... It is not anti-Semitic to protest injustice."

Such expressions of the bleeding obvious, however, are intolerable to the Israel lobby. This explains the following riposte from Labor's Glenn Sterle in the Senate on Thursday:

"It is time that the member for Fremantle stopped spouting propaganda that comes directly from organisations and groups that are devoted to genocidal ideologies."  (BDS comments 'ill-informed', Dennis Shanahan, The Australian, 1/11/14)

Talk about projection!

Sterle, needless to say, was rambammed in 2007.

Shaoquett Moselmane Speaks Truth to Power

With so many NSW state politicians bending the knee to Israeli apartheid and its local fifth column these days, the voices of those who fearlessly speak out in defence of Palestinian rights deserve our utmost respect.

One such is NSW Labor MLC Shaoquett Moselmane.

He had this to say in the context of a speech on religious freedom in the NSW Legislative Council on May 23:

"In a democratic country such as ours there are many ways in which people can express their views - the opportunities are wide open. I am a person who will not shy away from having my say. I will always say and do what is right, even in the face of the trash I have read in the Australian-Israeli media. One or two reporters writing in the Murdoch press - namely the Australian - have been attacking me and denying the truth of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land and the killing and dehumanising of the Palestinian people. This is utter garbage. I accept the right of people to express their views, even when they are wrong, naive, ill-informed, indoctrinated and blinded by the power of a political lobby group that is cancerous, malicious, and seeks to deny, misinform and scaremonger. What I do take exception to is foreigners intervening in the right of Australian politicians to speak out. Therefore, I say to the Israeli ambassador, Yuval Rotem, 'Butt out and stay out. Your perceived right to bully as you do in the Middle East does not extend to the Australian political arena.'

"In today's Australian, Cassandra Wilkinson*, lacking journalistic integrity and an informed knowledge of the Israeli occupation of Arab lands, took aim and attacked me. In an example of sloppy reporting and sloppy journalism, she quotes a statement she attributes to Mr David Shoebridge MLC that was actually made by Dr John Kaye MLC. Perhaps because Dr Kaye is of Jewish descent Ms Wilkinson conveniently attacks others in the NSW Parliament who simply dare to criticise - as any ethical or moral person would do - the state of Israel's illegal and criminal practices against the Palestinian people. I applaud all Muslim and Arab leaders for speaking out on these and other issues. I call on the Australian Arab Muslim community to unite and for once speak with one Australian voice. I ask them to protect the right of their community to speak out and deliver a message of peace and citizenship on behalf of their community so that neither they nor their messages are misconstrued or misunderstood."

In an article in today's Australian (Attack on Israel's backers puts ALP in damage control, Christian Kerr & Mark Coulton), quoting snatches of the above speech, we get some idea of the pressure Shaoquett Moselmane is coming under to toe the party (Likud?) line. One is reminded of the pressure to which the courageous and principled federal Labor MP Julia Irwin was subjected whenever she spoke up for the Palestinian cause:

"Clashes on Middle East policy are expected when the NSW Labor caucus meets tomorrow after a Muslim MP attacked supporters of Israel as 'cancerous' and 'malicious'."

(You'll note here that Moselmane was referring to the Israel lobby, not mere supporters of Israel. He's in good company in this regard: Fairfax columnist Mike Carlton has called the lobby a "ferocious beast," and another former Fairfax columnist and broadcaster, Terry Lane, described it as "malicious, implacable, mendacious and dangerous." (See my 12/6/10 post A Ferocious Beast.)

"MLC Shaoquett Moselmane was slapped down by Opposition Leader John Robertson after he used a speech in parliament about religious tolerance and multiculturalism to attack his critics, including columnists in The Australian... 'I comprehensively reject the allegations made by Mr Moselmane. I have made this clear to him', Mr Robertson said, adding that he had contacted Mr Rotem and Yair Miller, the president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. NSW Labor general secretary Sam Dastyari called the remarks 'completely inappropriate'. Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Howes condemned Mr Moselmane's comments as 'contrary to the policy of the Labor Party'. Mr Moselmane declined to return calls from The Australian."

Watch this space.

[*See my 23/5/13 post Cassandra Wilkinson & Herstory.]

Labor Isn't a Brand, It's a Zionist Cause

"Delegates, sometimes when reforming our great Party is talked about, people say there is a problem with the Labor brand. But delegates, Labor isn't a brand, it's a cause." (Prime Minister Julia Gillard, NSW ALP State Conference, 15/7/12)

But what kind of cause? Alas, a deeply Zionist one.

Just follow the thread:

"A story of plot and counter plot, of frustration and ultimate success was told by The Right Honourable Dr HV Evatt to over 400 people at the Maccabean Hall when the Jewish National Fund opened its Jubilee Year last Monday night. Dr Evatt was President of UN committee on Palestine in 1947, and in 1949 was chairman of the Paris Assembly which debated the Trusteeship of Palestine. Later as Australia's delegate to UN he exercised his chairman's casting vote and was instrumental in having Israel admitted to UN membership. 'Australia stood for justice and had a knowledge of what justice demanded,' said Dr Evatt. 'When the debate was taking place on the establishment of Israel as a State, Australia did not avoid its responsibilities - it voted 'yes' and also voted for full recognition instead of de facto recognition.' Dr Evatt said Israel would stand side by side with Australia in the name of democracy and law and will do all it can to avert war. Mr A Landa, MLA, declared that if it were not for Dr Evatt in the years of 1947-49, Israel - who knows - may not have been in existence today... Mr Landa described Israel as a bastion of democracy in the Middle East. Mr HB Newman presented Dr Evatt with a parchment which was a certificate showing that a forest of 10,000 trees had been contributed by the Australian Jewish community and planted in Israel in Dr Evatt's name." (Dr Evatt at JNF Jubilee, Sydney Jewish News, 24/3/52)

"The ACTU president, Mr [Bob] Hawke, said yesterday that if he were the Israeli prime minister he would drop an atomic bomb on invading Arabs." (Hawke: I'd A-bomb Arabs, Chris Forsyth, The Daily Telegraph, 16/2/74)*

"UNION CHIEF WHO SAID: 'I'm proud our nation helped to kill Hamas terrorist in Dubai'... come hear outspoken Paul Howes." (JNF ad for its 2010 AGM, The Australian Jewish News, 7/5/10)**

"... ALP officials, Eric Roozendaal and Mark Arbib have spoken to me and requested that I should have my speeches vetted, visit the Holocaust Memorial, visit Israel and meet with members of various Jewish organisations..." (Julia Irwin, former Labor member for Fowler, August 2010)***

[*See my 13/7/10 post The Heart that Throbs for Bomber Bob; **See my 8/5/10 post Zionism Red in Tooth & Claw; ***See my 11/8/10 post Julia Irwin Spills the Beans.]

WikiLeaks 6: Working for the Man

Spooky!:

"The federal Labor minister and right-wing powerbroker Mark Arbib is one of the US embassy's valued confidential contacts, providing inside information and commentary on the workings of the government and the ALP. Secret embassy cables obtained by WikiLeaks and made available exclusively to the Herald reveal that Senator Arbib has been in regular contact with US embassy officers. His candid comments are incorporated in reports to Washington with requests that his identity as a 'protected' source be guarded. Embassy cables refer to Senator Arbib as a strong supporter of Australia's alliance with the US. They identify him as a valuable source of information on Labor politics, including the former prime minister Kevin Rudd's hopes to forestall an eventual leadership challenge by his deputy, Julia Gillard. 'He understands the importance of supporting a vibrant relationship with the US while not being too deferential. We have found him personable, confident and articulate', says an embassy profile written in July 2009. 'He has met with us repeatedly throughout his political rise'." (Yank in the ranks: The powerbroker Mark Arbib has been America's Labor Party insider for years, Philip Dorling, Sydney Morning Herald, 9/12/10)

Arbib is the other quintessential whatever-it-takes ALP politician. Mark Latham had him pegged as one of those who "live in a world of non-stop political manoeuvres and gossip, no structured thoughts about making society better. Their only points of reference in public life are polling and focus groups." (See my 23/6/10 post The Ins & Outs of the ALP)

Unlike Dorling's report on Gillard, there is no reference to Israel in his report on Arbib. Proof of his allegiance to the USraeli agenda, however, may be found in the accusation by former Labor MP and critic of Israel, Julia Irwin, that he "ordered her to take a trip to Israel and submit her speeches on the Middle East to him for clearance." (See my 30/7/10 post Get Thee to Israel!) Ditto for this contribution from one of his appearances on the ABC's Q & A (7/5/09): "[T]o really understand the Israeli people and understand what they've been through and understand where they're coming from in terms of their security... you've got to go to Jerusalem and you've got to go to the Holocaust Museum..."

What does emerge, however, is that he reportedly "told embassy officers that, unlike [former leader Kim] Beazley, he supported Australia's military commitment in Iraq 'as well as the war on terrorism in general'." (ibid)

Predictably, Arbib was not the only ALP politician with a fondness for whipping into the embassy for a chat and a cup of whatever: "Other Labor politicians reported as regular contacts include the former minister Bob McMullan and Michael Danby, a serving MP." (ibid) At various points in his Diaries, Latham calls McMullan, immortalised as 'Comb-over', a "snake in the grass" and a "treacherous bastard." Of Labor's 'Minister for Israel', of course, you'll need no introduction - just click on the tag below.

Other Labor politicians (and union bosses) to get a mention in Dorling's WikiLeaks reporting include Victorian senator Dave Feeney, parliamentary secretary for Pacific Island Affairs Richard Marles, national secretary of the Health Services Union Kathy Jackson, Victorian secretary of the Australian Workers Union, Cesar Melhem ("The AWU works diligently to place its own members in parliamentary positions, both at state and federal levels. This includes Bill Shorten."), an unnamed National Union of Workers (NUW) source, and Dave Noonan and Bill Oliver of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU).

PS: Marles, Danby and Shorten will all be traipsing off to Israel this month to take part in one of Albert Dadon's Australia Israel Leadership Forum shindigs. (See my 25/10/10 post Record Rambam)

Guess Who Came to Dinner?

In spruiking his new book, Confessions of a Faceless Man, on the coup which replaced Prime Minister Kevin Rudd with Julia Gillard, union heavy and Zionist hottie Paul Howes writes:

"The problems within the [Rudd] government... are now widely known. Ministers were not encouraged to debate ideas and Cabinet became a rubber-stamping committee. Those who did try to talk to the prime minister about the problems facing the government were so brutalised by their experiences that many never tried it again. Some cabinet ministers couldn't get a meeting with Rudd at all. Departmental secretaries were left waiting hours and hours for meetings, only to be told to come back the next day, when the charade would be repeated. I experienced this sort of treatment first hand, so I knew the increasing complaints from within the government were justified... The party became increasingly closed, and those within the wider labour movement who spoke out or disagreed on policy issues were marginalised and shut up. That culture needed to end. And that's at least partly why Julia Gillard became the leader of the parliamentary Labor party, and the Prime Minister. I believe that, as Prime Minister, Gillard is keen to ensure that debate is had and ideas are generated... that supporters of the party should be able to make their voices heard without the fear of appearing disloyal. After all, that's democracy... It seems to me that because the election had to be held so soon after the change of leadership, there was no opportunity to properly explain to the Australian people what exactly had gone wrong with the Rudd government. It's time now to confront the elephant in the room." (The elephant in the room, Paul Howes, The Sunday Telegraph, 7/11/10)

So cabinet ministers couldn't get a look in with Rudd, and parliamentary secretaries were kept dangling. The nerve of the man! Why, even His Highness, Paul Howes, got his knuckles rapped! And that, he says, was the elephant in the room.

But that wasn't the elephant in the room. This was the elephant in the room:

Some folk had no trouble getting to see Rudd. In fact, he not only invited them but wined and dined them as well: "When Kevin Rudd sat down to dinner in the Lodge with six leaders of the Jewish community this month several remarked at the trouble he'd taken: the PM had ordered kosher food, flown from Melbourne, for the event. It was a nice touch, but not enough. Rudd convened the dinner as a reconciliation with Australia's Jewry. He was the first prime minister to invite the Jewish leadership to address a crisis in relations since Malcolm Fraser after the outbreak of the first Lebanon War in 1982. But it was going to take a lot more than a kosher dinner to alay the anxiety, anger and frustration around the Lodge dining table... (What am I, chopped liver? How Rudd dived into schmooze mode, Peter Hartcher, Sydney Morning Herald, 22/6/10) You can read the rest of Hartcher's account in my 22/6/10 post The Best Israel Policy Money Can Buy.

As for those [Laborites] who spoke out or disagreed on policy issues being marginalised and shut up, that wouldn't happen under Prime Minister Howes, now would it?

Well, yes it would. Take the courageous (and sadly the only) Labor dissent from the party line on the Middle East conflict by former Labor MP Julia Irwin. Hypocrite Howes condemned that out of hand as "a dangerous contribution to the foreign policy debate." (No hope of a fond farewell, Paul Howes, The Australian, 16/9/09)

Julia Irwin Spills the Beans

I was thinking only the other day: 'I hope (retiring, pro-Palestinian Labor MP) Julia Irwin writes her memoirs'. I had no idea, however, that we'd be party to her experiences as a supporter of the Palestinians in a thoroughly Zionised Australian Labor Party (ALP) so soon. We have the redoubtable freelance journalist and blogger Antony Loewenstein to thank for that scoop, and the complete version of his interview with her may be found at his website. What Irwin has to say, as a party insider, is dynamite, and it will be interesting to see to what extent, if any, it is drawn on by the mainstream media. Needless to say, I won't be holding my breath.

What follows are some of the juicier bits of Irwin's testimony (along with a few of my own comments in square-bracketed bold):

"With a few exceptions, the great majority of the Caucus have strong pro-Israel views. Many have visited Israel as guests of various groups. You would find a check of the Register of Members Interests worth reading as it discloses who has been to Israel and who paid for the trip. Many members and senators from right-wing unions have had close links with the Israeli union movement over the years and have maintained entrenched views."

[For a regularly updated list of these polliewaffles, both federal and state, as well as journalists and others (along with some of their recorded 'impressions') see my 30/3/09 post I've been to Israel too.]

"While ALP officials, Eric Roozendaal and Mark Arbib have spoken to me and requested that I should have my speeches vetted, visit the Holocaust Museum, visit Israel and meet with members of various Jewish organisations, these requests have not been followed up. After one speech on Palestine, the ALP chief whip tore up my application for leave from the House when I was to attend an Inter Parliamentary Union meeting in Geneva. This was later approved but not before some emotional displays on both sides."

[For the first reported inkling of Arbib's role as an urger for Israel see my 30/7/10 post Get Thee to Israel!]

"Until very recently... Kevin Rudd... [had not] spoken to me on [the Israel/Palestine conflict]... Then, strangely, at the Caucus meeting on the Tuesday before he was deposed as Prime Minister, I had gone up to Kevin to ask him to sign a hardback edition of 'The True Believers' which had been signed by all party leaders from Gough Whitlam [on]. Kevin was surprisingly friendly and inquired about the reaction of supporters of the Palestinian cause to the government's handling of the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat over the theft of Australian passports and his statement calling for an inquiry into the Mavi Marmara incident. His remarks led me to believe that there had been some change in the government's position with regard to Israel even if it was only a small step from being totally uncritical."

[The question is to what extent that small step was a factor in Rudd's downfall. My posts, The Best Israel Policy Money Can Buy (22/6/10) and If Only Rudd Hadn't Expelled That Israeli Diplomat... (1/7/10), marshal the available evidence.]

"Without naming names, I could point to at least one ALP member who receives big donations from Palestinian interests but is silent on the issue. (I should add that I have never been offered financial support for my re-election campaigns from groups outside my electorate and none with direct links to Palestinian interests)."

"There is certainly a belief that support for Palestine will swiftly end any prospect of a front bench position. Even a hint of offence can result in an immediate, unconditional apology. For all MPs there is the desire to 'play it safe'. Why make enemies over an issue which does not directly affect your local community? And I have to add that many Labor members have an intense dislike of Arabic people. That's something that comes across in their less guarded moments. They will talk about human rights abuse in every corner of the world, but not Palestine."

[This is a damning insight into the parliamentary wing of the party: a bunch of racists whose leaders are vetted and approved by pro-Israel enforcers.]

"On the Labor side (and as far as I know the same applies to the Liberals), a newly selected member for a winnable seat is hosted to a private fundraising dinner. A table full of Jewish businessmen are happy to hand over $10,000 for the candidate's first campaign. That's a big bonus for a new member and many never forget the generosity. I was never afforded such an honour, but I can say that I would have been suspicious of the motive."

[For a description of the same phenomenon in the UK's Conservative Party see my 12/5/10 post Ziocons Rule.]

"And then there are the trips to Israel. The chance to see the achievements of 60 years of Zionism, and to look down on the depressed Palestinian villages is hard to pass up for some. How could any member not be impressed by such achievement, and how could they not share the fear of the backward Arabs threatening such an enlightened society? Any check of the Register of Members Interests reveals how Tel Aviv is such a popular destination, especially when it's free. A visit to Israel is almost a rite of passage for new MPs and senators."

[Again, a damning insight into mainstream politics in this country and one that's barely caused a ripple of interest in the corporate media - largely because it too is caught up in the same corrupting practice.]

"Shortly after my motion on the Israel/Palestine conflict in 2002, the Israel Lobby sprang into action. 'Jewish Friends of Labor' was formed and no doubt has been a rich source of support for Labor candidates ever since. As I have told Michael Danby, Julia Irwin has been the best electoral asset he has had. The Jewish Lobby needs support from both sides of politics. It cannot afford to snub Labor even if most Jewish voters live in blue ribbon Liberal seats. Personally, while I have survived 4 terms, I have no doubt that senior ALP figures have promised to end my career on more than one occasion. At the grass roots level, in the branches and the wider electorate the lobby has no influence. Only at the highest levels can a member be threatened. But a party which allows that to happen is not worthy of public support."

[Amen, Julia.]

It is devoutly to be hoped that Julia Irwin will find time while retired to pen a fuller account of these goings on.

Get Thee to Israel!

An interesting portrait of Mark (whatever it takes) Arbib by Deborah Snow in today's Fairfax press:

First, the context: "Fast forward to the events of nearly 5 weeks ago in Canberra, when Rudd fell to Julia Gillard. Arbib, a senator and a junior minister in Rudd's government, was again at the centre of the action, rustling up numbers for the coup. His was not the only hand holding a knife, of course. Other chieftains from Labor's right - particularly Bill Shorten, David Feeney, and Don Farrell - were prime movers. And Rudd's autocratic style had left him ripe for the toppling. Nevertheless, Arbib's role in Rudd's downfall was 'pre-eminent', according to one of Arbib's mates, Senator Glenn Sterle*, from Western Australia. 'Let's make no mistake: Mark put Kevin here [as leader] in the first place, which is why to take him out was a bloody big call', the plain-spoken former truckie says. 'It's like taking your granddad out'... Asked some years ago whether he agreed with the philosophy of 'whatever it takes', the title of Graham Richardson's autobiography, Arbib replied: 'We'll do whatever it takes to win an election. Definitely'." (In Richo's footsteps, Labor's new Mr Fix-it)

Then this fascinating little anecdote: "He kept a tight rein on the state's MPs. Julia Irwin, then the member for Fowler, says he responded to a speech she gave on the rights of Palestinians by ordering her to take a trip to Israel and asking her to submit further speeches on the Middle East to him for clearance. She refused and the demands were not followed up. Arbib has denied asking her to travel to Israel."

[*Chair of the Australia-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group]

The Ins & Outs of the ALP

Maxine McKew (MP for Bennelong) is definitely in. For example, when it comes to the Middle East conflict, she has a knack for articulating her party's position that is second to none. Which probably means she's destined for a senior position in the parliamentary party and explains why she gets to appear on cool television shows such as Q & A (31/5/10):

Audience Member: Are we applying double standards to Israel?... If [say] Iraq had behaved like that [massacring unarmed protesters on the high seas] we would be jumping up and down... and intervening...

Tony Jones: I just want to get a quick response from Maxine McKew, and I'll ask you as a corollary to that, Maxine, does this shake your faith in Israel at all?

Maxine McKew: ... I think it's a bit too early to say we should be jumping up and down about anything. We were only really apprised of this about mid-afternoon Australian time... We need a lot more information so I'll leave it at that. Shake my faith in Israel? Well, Tony, I remember being in Israel in the 90s and there was still hope after the Oslo process that things could move, but, you know, things are very fragmented now, very far apart. So I lament that. You know, I grew up, you know, schooled in, you know, the horrors of the holocaust and absolutely believing in the fundamental importance of the state of Israel and its right to exist, but I also believe that there has to be, you know, space for the Palestinians. The fact that this issue is still as unresolved in the new century, you know, as it was in the last century is deeply depressing.

Julia Irwin (MP for Fowler), on the other hand, is definitely out. You can see why from her 16 June adjournment speech, where her grasp of party policy detail on the Middle East conflict was embarrassingly shaky to say the least. Which, I suppose, helps explain why she's not only on the nose in party circles but why she won't even be standing for re-election next time around. Oh, and why you'll probably never see her on Q & A:

"Like millions of people around the world I watched with horror the actions of the Israeli armed forces in their assault on the freedom flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The predictable response from the Israeli propaganda machine portrayed the murder of 9 peace activists as yet another act of self-defence. While the Secretary-General of the UN has called for an independent international inquiry, the US and Australia are again happy to leave the inquiry in the hands of the Israeli authorities. And even if there were any adverse findings we could expect the matter to be brushed aside like the damning Goldstone report into Israel's war on Gaza in 2009. This reminds me very much of those apologists for Stalinism who were blind to the human rights abuses of that brutal regime. They would justify any atrocity by saying that it was in defence of socialism and begin each statement with words like 'you have to realise that more than 20 million Russians were killed in the great patriotic war'. But that is how Western leaders excuse the gross abuses of human rights committed in the name of self-defence by the state of Israel. Are they blind to the evidence presented by UN agencies, by Amnesty International or by the Red Cross, none of which could remotely be described as terrorist organisations? And are they also blind to the damage done to their standing in the world community by their unquestioning defence of Israel?

"My own awakening to the reality of life in the illegally occupied territories came in a visit in 2000. I mention just one incident that has left a lasting impact on me. We were walking through the streets of East Jerusalem when we were confronted with a group of teenage Israeli youths each carrying a submachinegun slung over their shoulder and with a 'go ahead, make my day' look in their eyes. The group came across an old woman sitting in her doorway selling her homemade cheeses from a large platter. To my amazement, one of the youths kicked the platter down the alley spilling the cheeses onto the ground. I will never forget the tearful expression on that old woman's face or the mocking laugh of the youths as they swaggered off down the street.

"While this was hardly a gross abuse of human rights, it is part of everyday life in the illegally occupied territories. When taken together with the abduction, imprisonment and torture of more than 10,000 Palestinians, including children and a number of members of the Palestinian Legislative Assembly, the reality of life under the jackboot of Israeli occupation can be felt. And to that can be added the bombing of schools, hospitals and UN stores during Israel's war on Gaza and so many other documented cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity. These are not the acts of a civilised nation.

"Yet, like the Stalinists of old, some world leaders continue to deny the reality, or, worse, defend it in the name of Israel's right of self-defence. But while nations' leaders fail to act, responsible citizens throughout the world are beginning to take action. The worldwide campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions [BDS] against products and services originating in whole or in part in the occupied territories is gaining momentum. I am pleased to see unions in Australia, including state branches of the CFMEU and the Australian Services Union, joining this movement. Churches, universities and trade unions are refusing to invest in enterprises conducting business in or involved in construction in the occupied territories. Unions in Europe have applied international law forbidding the international exploitation of illegally occupied territory and have embargoed goods made in the West Bank. Faced with the refusal by Israeli authorities to allow academic freedom in the occupied territories, many universities have broken contact with Israeli institutions with ties in the West Bank.

"When governments refuse to act in the name of civilised society t0 prevent gross abuses of human rights, we as individuals have a duty to act. The campaign of BDS deserves the full support of every thinking and caring Australian."

No sooner had Irwin finished her speech than Graig Emerson (MP for Rankin and Minister for Small Business etc, etc), who by the way was on Q & A this Monday night, stood, peg on nose, and relieved himself thus: "I want to make it clear that, in making her adjournment speech tonight, the member for Fowler was not speaking on behalf of the Rudd government."

Tell us something we don't know, minister.

PS: "Lunch with [Mark] Arbib at Azuma's in Sydney. It's interesting to listen to these machine guys: they live in a world of non-stop political manoeuvres and gossip, no structured thoughts about making society better. Their only points of reference in public life are polling and focus groups. And so it is with Arbib. Some snippets from him. The focus groups showed that people like me, but they think I need another three years in Opposition, after which they will give me a go... The focus groups also show that it's popular to bash the blacks: 'You need to find new issues, like attacking land rights, get stuck into all the politically correct Aborignal stuff - the punters love it'. Maybe he should have had lunch with Pauline Hanson, though not at Azuma's... We also talked about the quality of Labor MPs in NSW, and he wants to get rid of Irwin in Fowler: 'We had it all lined up before the 2001 election. Irwin was going to the State Upper House and Maxine McKew was going to run for Fowler. She would have been fantastic but then she backed out, said she couldn't stand living in Cabramatta or Liverpool'. So Maxine wants to be a Labor MP, but can't stand the sight or smell of Labor voters, hey?" (The Latham Diaries, 1/11/04, Mark Latham, 2005, pp 369-370)

Putting the Slipper In At the Herald

As the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh continues to reverberate, the penny is ever so slowly starting to drop at the Sydney Morning Herald. Journalist Hamish McDonald ventures a rare criticism - well, sort of - of Israel, its local lobbyists and their dupes in Canberra:

"The coolness didn't last long... [O]ur politicians find it hard to maintain any indignation, let alone anger or rage, against Israel." (True friends must tell the truth, 20/3/10)

Labor MP Julia Irwin, who launched a devastating attack on union leader and fan of Israeli death squads Paul Howes in the House of Representatives on March 15, is virtually the only exception to this depressing truth.

"This week the Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, was buttering up Israel and its local lobbyists again, by staging a special press conference and media opportunity at Parliament House to 'receive' a written report and set of recommendations on boosting relations. This was handed over by Albert Dadon, the new mover and shaker in Australia's Jewish community, on behalf of the Australia Israel Leadership Forum, a second-track diplomacy venture started two years ago on the model of businessman Phil Scanlan's longer-running Australia America Leadership Dialogue... The Israeli forum seems already to be well into the uncritical boosterism of which Scanlan's group gets accused in some circles. It has chosen this time to suggest that, along with more trade, agricultural and scientific exchanges and so on, Australia develops military-to-military ties with Israel.* Smith said he was 'very happy' to receive this report, which would get 'serious consideration' from the Prime Minister, adding: 'The friendship between Australia and Israel is longstanding and it is enduring, and that will continue. Despite recent events, which have been the cause of public commentary between Australia and Israel, that friendship will endure'. The, ahem, recent events include the use of forged copies of Australian passports in the recent assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai, and the 'insulting' (US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's word) action of Benjamin Netanyahu's government in announcing more Jewish housing in disputed [!!!] East Jerusalem as the US Vice-President, Joe Biden, arrived in Israel and US-brokered 'proximity talks' between Israel and the Palestinians were about to start. Australian Federal Police agents have been to Israel to inquire about the passports, and ASIO has been put on the case too. But no-one is expecting the AFP to find a link to Mossad, unless the Israeli intelligence agency has been very careless indeed. Some longer coolness about East Jerusalem would have been in order. Netanyahu, who included a smarmy letter in Dadon's report, has been trying to weasel his way out of the row with Washington by blaming the timing, but not the substance, on his interior minister and the Jerusalem mayor. Australia's rebuke was mildly worded. 'I share the view that this is a bad decision at the wrong time and it's not a helpful contribution to the peace process', Smith said, adding that Israel was undoing the 'very hard work' of the US and others to get the two sides working towards a 'two-state' solution... Behind its profession of undying support for Israel, the Rudd government has put a bit more detachment into our policy, ending our previous lining up with a bunch of tiny American client states in UN votes on the Middle East... It doesn't seem to be having any impact on Netanyahu and has opened Rudd to opposition sniping that he's selling out Israel to win Arab votes for the UN Security Council seat. Both sides of our politics could do well to adopt the Rudd-Confucian doctrine of the 'zhengyou', the 'true friend' (in Chinese) who can point out shortcomings."

OK, I know this is hardly Meirsheimer/Walt standard but maybe we can at least agree that it's a start.

[*See my 19/3/10 post Crazy Love]

The Only One

A snapshot of Australian parliamentary politics under Chairman Rudd:

"If they haven't caught up with her already, it's a fair bet that Labor's re-educators will be out in force this weekend trying to track down their Federal Member for Fowler, Julia Irwin. Irwin has a reputation as a forthright backbencher who is unafraid of rattling the Labor cage when she feels the need. Last year she attracted widespread attention when she boycotted a parliamentary motion moved by Kevin Rudd to commemorate the state of Israel's 60th birthday. She was far from the only member of caucus who felt strongly about Israel's conduct of its dispute [!!!] with Palestine. But after the party whips made it perfectly clear to all that the boss wanted everyone there for the vote, she was the only Labor MP to give voice to her notoriously strong views about Israel and to boycott the parliamentary motion. Raised in a working-class family in Western Sydney, Irwin has been an ALP member since she was 15 and - despite many veiled threats to her pre-selection - the member for Fowler since 1998. Some in her party consider Irwin to be 'old Labor' - sadly a perjorative, really, which means she holds fast to the ideals of equality and, above all, a fair go for the working man and woman... sometimes at the expense of the party line. And there she was, at it again, last week, banging on about unemployment and sticking up for the workers in her electorate." (It'll be hard labor for the jobless, Paul Daley, The Sun-Herald, 17/5/09)

The SMH: Puerile & Pusillanimous

Is the position of letters editor at The Sydney Morning Herald reserved for the especially clueless? Listen to this Postscript from Mike Ticher commenting on letter writers' responses to the carnage in Gaza: "As ever most letters focused on moral rights and wrongs: who did what 40 or 60 years ago, who had or had not broken international law and was or was not justified in certain actions. Those certainly should be debated, but it would make a change to have a more pragmatic debate about what might realistically work to change the situation." (17/1/09)

Ah yes, right and wrong, history, international law - so boring, so yesterday. And yet some letter writers actually took the bait - no doubt allowing Ticher to bin other writers who likely had more of a grasp of the moral, historical, and legal background to the issue. (I do not, of course, include the Fishmans, Lewis's and Burds in this category.)

Don Brown of Narrabeen tried his best to descend to Ticher's challenge, grumbling relevantly that neglecting the history of the conflict was "as difficult as discussing US-Muslim relations without mentioning the twin towers." His letter climaxed with "The power imbalance, both militarily and diplomatically, is so great that Israel believes it is impervious to any criticism, let alone any punitive action. It has developed nuclear weapons, bombed Syria, built walls and settlements and ignored the claims of the Palestinians for all the long years of the occupation." So far, so good, but Ticher's puerile terms of reference reduced Don to this nonsense: "Perhaps if the immense military aid to Israel were to be totally replaced by a program of building schools, clinics and sporting facilities to be shared by the people of both Israel and the occupied territories, some progress could be made." (19/1/09)

Bruce Weatherlake of Bli Bli, Qld wrote relevantly about the need for Israel to allow the Palestinian right of return, but, nobbled by Ticher's terms of reference, plunged into irrelevance with "All Australians... have been heartened to see the great camaraderie among different members of the South African cricket team; something unimaginable 25 years ago," and concluded with this inane Obamarism: "Everybody is going to have to give. Everybody is going to have to have some skin in the game." (19/1/09)

Guys, guys, this is so not a game! Don't allow yourself to be diverted by know-nothings like Ticher. Here are the kinds of things you could have written about, courtesy of Australian academics John Docker & Ned Curthoys' newly formed Committee for the Dismantling of Zionism: Statement of Aims:-

1) In the Ghandhian tradition of non-violence, the committee stands for the peaceful co-existence of Israeli Jews and Palestinians within a unified democratic state where everyone is a full citizen irrespective of religion or ethnicity.
2) The committee supports the view of Sir Isaac Isaacs, a Jewish jurist and former Governor General of Australia in the 1940s, that the very idea of a Jewish state is absurd, unjust, and untimately untenable, since it makes all the non-Jewish citizens necessarily and inevitably second-class citizens.
3) In the Gandhian traditon of non-violence, we support the cultural and economic boycott of Israel.
4) The Jewish Right [sic: Law] of Return is a weapon in the Zionist colonization and occupation of Palestinian lands. Accordingly, we urge that the world wide Jewish diaspora should renounce the Right of Return.
5) We urge support for UN Resolution 194 which declares the unconditional right of the Palestinian refugees expelled from Palestine in 1948 to return to their homes.
6) We observe that Zionist Israel is guilty of genocidal policies as defined in Article II (c) of the Genocide Convention, in that it intends to destroy, in whole or in part, an ethnic group by "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part." By "physical destruction" we mean that Zionist Israel transparently seeks to destroy Palestinian society and remove Palestinians from their ancestral lands in order to Judaize those same lands.
7) The world wide Zionist organisations are also guilty, in terms of the Genocide Convention, Article III (e), of "complicity in genocide." (From antony loewenstein.com/blog/ 5/1/09)

To add insult to injury, the SMH (along with its Ziocon rival, The Australian), on the same day as the above letters, failed to cover the third and largest of Sydney's massive anti-Israel demonstrations. Contrast this with the excellent coverage in Melbourne's Age - Thousands march in Melbourne against Gaza war, Andra Jackson, 19/1/09 - a piece, moreover, which actually quoted some of those who spoke at the rally, and, in a revolutionary new journalistic development, even one of the demonstrators!

By turning its back on the thousands of Sydneysiders who flooded the streets of Sydney's CBD for block after block to express their solidarity with the victims of Israeli genocide in Gaza, the SMH reveals itself yet again to be more of a media firewall acting to block and deflect, rather than a serious newspaper in the business of reporting and investigating contemporary trends and developments. Whether this failure to report arises out of cowardice or conviction, the SMH as currently configured, deserves our contempt.

Another indication of the strength of popular feeling against Israeli war crimes emerged in The Sun-Herald of 18/1/09. In response to that publication's airing of the views of federal Labor MP Julia Irwin (one of the tiny minority of Australian politicians with the courage to speak up for the Palestinians) the week before, columnist Kerry-Anne Walsh wrote as follows: "Ms Irwin's article generated a greater flood of correspondence in The Sun-Herald than any issue in recent years, the overwhelming majority in support. What emerged - strongly - in their views was a yearning for politicians to break ranks and voice opinions." (Toe the line, don't step on any) Walsh followed this with a selection of these emails. Needless to say, the Israel lobby, in the person this time of Robert Goot of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), had obtained a right of reply - Just defence despite death toll. What a pity that his space on the paper's Comment page wasn't given over entirely to that "flood of correspondence."

World public opinion is turning decisively against the rogue state of Israel, and rightly so. The bulk of the Australian corporate media (with the possible exception of The Age), however, still hasn't got it.

Rudd Gives Palestine the Brush-Off

The Sydney Morning Herald's Alan Ramsey was alone among our mainstream journalists (so far as I am aware) in reporting on a letter sent by Melbourne's Women for Palestine organization to the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, Brendan Nelson, asking them to give favourable consideration to moving "a parliamentary motion recognising May 15, the actual date of the 60th anniversary of Israel's creation, as a day of 'catastrophe, dispossession, displacement, exile and occupation' for the 700,000 Palestinians who'd lost their homes, their land and, in many cases, their lives in May* 1948." (Little or no time for Palestinians in Parliament, 17/5/08) Neither responded. This request, of course, was an attempt to balance the motion, "celebrating... the achievements of the State of Israel in the 60 years since its inception," moved by the Prime Minister (and seconded by the Opposition Leader) in the House of Representatives on March 12 this year.

[*Actually, from December, 1947 to the ceasefires of January-March, 1949.]

Ramsey also reported that, although each of the Parliament's 226 politicians were emailed on the matter, only one acknowledgement (from Kate Ellis, Rudd's junior minister for Youth and Sport) was received. He concluded his opinion piece with an account of two ill-fated attempts to raise the issue of the Palestinian Nakba in Federal Parliament:

"In the Parliament this week [12/5-16/5], two women MPs tried to prick their colleagues' consciences. The Greens senator Kerry Nettle and Labor's Julia Irwin, both from Sydney, tabled motions in the Senate and the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Irwin was allowed three minutes to speak on Wednesday, not in the house chamber itself but in the auxiliary main committee room. She said, in part: 'Eight years ago, I visited Israel and the occupied territories. The experience changed my views. Today we remember what Palestinians call al-Nakba, the catastrophe. Sixty years ago, Palestinians fled their homes to escape the massacres. Can those of us in Western nations, who have expressed congratulations to Israel on its 60th birthday, not spare a moment to remember the suffering of the Palestinian people 60 years ago, and the daily consequences of their dispossesion, displacement, exile and occupation? Today those 700,000 Palestinian refugees have grown into 7 million. Four million live under illegal occupation. Three million live as non-citizens in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and other countries. Palestine was never a land without people. Today it is a people without a land'.

"Kerry Nettle's motion on Thursday urged, in part: 'That the senate (a) acknowledges and sympathises with the Palestinians whose homes were destroyed or seized and family members killed 60 years ago at the inception of the state of Israel, which the Palestinians call al-Nakba, the catastrophe; (2) remembers with shame the failure of the international community to prevent the bloody events that followed the unilateral declaration of independent statehood by the Israeli leaders; (3) acknowledges the unique relationship between Australia and Palestine, commends the Palestinian Authority's commitment to democracy, reiterates Australia's commitment to Palestine's right to exist and our ongoing support to the peaceful establishment of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and and on this, the 60th anniversary, pledges frendship and enduring support to the people of Palestine'.

"There was no debate. Nettle did not get to speak in support of what she wanted her collegues to do. What the Senate then did was throw out Nettle's motion by 48 votes to five, with 23 senators declining to vote. The entire exercise - the reading of the motion and the subsequent vote - took nine minutes. Julia Irwin got three minutes.

"Our even-handed Middle East policy."

Almost two weeks after May 15 had come and gone, those who proposed the Nakba motion finally received a response to their letter - not from the Prime Minister, but from Garry Quinlan, Senior Adviser (Foreign Affairs, National Security, Defence & Trade).

It was the quintessential, platitudinous, bureaucratic brush-off. To add insult to injury it hadn't even been vetted for typos.*

Here's the gist: "... Australia has long supported efforts to reach a lasting and comprehensive settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Australian Government greatly values its strong friendship with the Palestinian people and the contributions made by Australia's Palestinian community to our society. In the Parliamentary motion moved by the Prime Minister *to publicly reiterated the Australian Government's commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - a solution based on the recognition of the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for their own state and Israel's right to live in peace within secure borders. The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to re-state Australia's firm belief that the establishment of an independent and economically viable Palestinian state must remain a key objective of the Middle East peace process. The violence and loss of life that have marked the many years of the conflict are tragic and a matter of deep sadness to the Government. The Australian Government does not, however, consider that the Parliamentary motion you propose would contribute to the peace process currently underway between Israel and the Palestinian Authority."

Just what you'd expect from a prime minister who has declared that support for Israel is "in my DNA."

The Israeli Occupation of Federal Parliament 5

"The pro-Israel lobby in this country is a powerful, influential and intimidating group. Backbenchers such as Julia Irwin and Leo McLeay get left way behind, along with the interests of the Palestinians." Alan Ramsey, Lost, even with a map, 30/8/03

Meanwhile, over at Fairfax...

In my first post in the series, The Israeli Occupation of Federal Parliament, I cited Sydney Morning Herald columnist Alan Ramsey's brave foray into the matter of The Motion, Don't mention the war as Israel lauded (8/3/08). His was a lone voice in the Fairfax press that week.

There were, of course, the inevitable outraged responses on the letters page (10/3/08): Ramsey's reference to "Jewish financial support of party coffers" drew satirical scorn ("Curse those Zionist paymasters!") and assertions that "[t]here is no evidence that Jewish organizations per se have ever donated to Australian political parties." One letter writer dismissed his opinion piece as a "finger-pointing rant."

And they, apparently, were just the tip of the iceberg: according to Letters co-editor, Mike Ticher, in his Postscript comment on 15/3/08, "That [letters on 'white flight'] was just a polite exchange compared with the vitriol inspired by Alan Ramsey's opinion piece on Israel last Saturday and the various responses to it."

Another letter attacking Ramsey, Friendships with Israel are more enduring than hate-filled rhetoric, by Robert Goot and David Knoll, presidents respectively of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, was published on the day of Rudd's motion (12/3/08). They charged him with a) "indulging one of his passions - hatred of Israel"; b) "crossing the line from robust debate to racial vilification"; c) " denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination"; d) "applying double standards by requiring Israel to adhere to standards not demanded of any other democratic nation"; e) "using images associated with classic anti-semitism"; and f) "reverting to classic anti-semitic canards about Jews and money."

To its credit the SMH printed 3 rebuttals of Goot and Knoll the following day (13/3/08). To touch briefly on each of these accusations:-

a) For Zionists, reasoned criticism of Israel is invariably misconstrued as "hatred for Israel."

b) This is a groundless assertion not in any way borne out by reference to what Ramsey actually says.

c) Notice that Goot and Knoll want self-determination, not for Israel's citizens as such, 20% of whom are non-Jewish Palestinian Arabs, but for "the Jewish people," including presumably Goot and Knoll.

d) This begs the questions: What kind of democracy discriminates in law against part of its citizenry, exiles and renders stateless millions more potential citizens, and occupies the land of another people? And since the passing of apartheid South Africa, are there any other such "democratic nations?"

e) Another groundless assertion not borne out by reference to what Ramsey actually says.

f) Perhaps Goot and Knoll should first take this matter up with the editor of The Australian Jewish News. In its issue of 9/2/07, the AJN journalist, Melissa Singer, writes, under the headline, Jewish political donations nudge $1m, that "Jewish-owned businesses and individuals continued their support for the 2 major political parties in 2005-06, according to an Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) report released last week. While the overall number of Jewish donors was down on 2004-05, it is anticipated that 2006-07 will be stronger, with an election less than 10 months away." Singer goes on to list Frank Lowy's Westfield Group, Harry Triguboff's Meriton Premier Apartments, Phil Green's investment firm Babcock & Brown, David Goldberger & David Wieland, Smorgan Steel, Richard Pratt and his Visy Group, Harry Segal, Gandel Group, Sherman Group, Ivany Investment group, law firm Arnold Bloch Liebler, and the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce. [As Jack Lang told the young Paul Keating: "Always put your money on self-interest, son, it's the only horse that always tries."]

Thankfully, Ramsey was not bullied into silence. Quite the contrary, the whole of his regular Saturday column of 15/3/08, Blinkers off for the other side of the story, was devoted to the bizarre spectacle which had taken place just 3 days earlier in the House of Representatives.

While The Australian had given the false impression of near wall-to-wall support for the motion, Ramsey tells a different story: "...one half of the Australian Parliament 'celebrated' the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel. More than a third of that one-half was absent, whatever their reasons. A number of MPs deliberately excluded themselves." Apart from Rudd and Nelson, "[n]obody else spoke. The whole affair, carefully orchestrated, carefully bipartisan, lasted just 15 minutes. The press gallery was almost empty. So, too, were the 2 public galleries. About 100 invited guests...filled the first 3 rows of the Speaker's gallery...These were the people who, after Rudd's...motion had been 'put and passed' without a vote, applauded enthusiastically. The only other person who spoke - or attempted to - was a middle-aged woman [who] held up a T-shirt, exclaiming, 'What about UN resolution 242?' " She was evicted.

Ramsey goes on to tell the story of how, on the same night, a lone Liberal MP, Susan Ley, "did an extremely courageous thing...speak for the Palestinian people. She was the only MP [out of 150] who did...When Rudd and Nelson had spoken at midday I counted 53 Government MPs present, including 6 ministers, and 39 Coalition MPs. When Ley got the call 7 1/2 hours later...to speak on the adjournment, there were 5 people in the public gallery, 4 Labor MPs and 2 Coalition MPs in the chamber, and one journalist in the press gallery." Ramsey gives an edited version of Sussan Ley's speech, from which I quote the following:-

"Israel has many friends in this country and in the Parliament. The Palestinians, by comparison, have few. Theirs is not a popular cause. But it is one I support, in part out of knowledge that the victors of WW II, including Australia, wrote a 'homeland' cheque to cover the sins of the holocaust and centuries of anti-semitism in Europe, but it was the Palestinians who had to cash it."

Ley referred to Israel's 'achievements' (though mistakenly describing the Jewish ethnocratic state as a "democracy"), its "40-year occupation of the Palestinain territories, its continued expansion of [illegal Israeli] settlements [on Palestinian land] and its refusal to allow the return of expelled refugees." She also asserted that "The current blockade of Gaza, confiscation of Palestinian land, and the expansion of settlements must be mentioned in the context of today's motion."

"We are the leaders of our generation. We are accountable for results. If the principal protagonists and the rest of the world community hand Palestine on to the next generation as a twisted mess of grievance, hatred and retribution, then we have failed. The last 2 generations of leaders have failed to produce peace. Let us renew our efforts."

Ramsey reflected: "Unlike earlier in the day, nobody applauded - though I wished I could have. Many Australians, too, had they been present, surely would have wanted to acknowledge such a speech of such honesty and sensibility...Ley put the grovelling Rudd and Nelson to shame. The truth is there is no real debate in this country about the travesty of what is happening in the Middle East, and there are those in the community who, with their money and influence, do all they can to ensure no such open debate occurs, either in the national Parliament, in the media or anywhere else. So why was the Rudd Government, in its first 4 months in office, doing what no Australian government or parliament had done, to acknowledge any of the decades of Israeli statehood since the Six-Day War in 1967 saw the Israeli military occupy the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza and ignore 40 years of mutual violence and barbarity as well as 40 years of UN resolutions to withdraw? The Howard government did not 'honour' Israel's 50th anniversary...nor the Hawke government the 40th...nor the Fraser government the 30th...Why the 60th in 2008 the instant a Labor Government comes to power?"

Ramsey's question demands an answer. At least one Labor MP was trying to prise one out of the PM: "When the Labor caucus met on Tuesday...Sydney's Julia Irwin asked Rudd this very question. Why? Irwin never takes a backward step in her defence of Palestinian rights, but all she got from Rudd this time was waffle. He did not explicitly respond as to why 60 might be different from earlier decades when the Parliament had done nothing and neither had earlier governments. And no Labor MP supported Irwin in pushing it. She was a lone voice in the Labor caucus as Susan Ley was in the Parliament. How's that for political ticker?"

Unfortunately, like Ley and Irwin in federal politics, Alan Ramsey is a lone voice in Australian journalism. What have we come to? Where are we going?

The Israeli Occupation of Federal Parliament 4

The Istralian's 12 March exorcism of the Nakba ad (See TIOOFP 2) continued on 13 March. In what must have been a first, the entirety of its letters page (excepting the First Byte column) was given over to letters on and around the offending ad, 14 of them - 11 to 3 in Israel's favour, of course - under the banner headline: An island of civilization in a sea of barbarism. All the old, familiar Zionist talking points were there:-

Bill James of Bayswater, Vic, who contributed the above header (hereinafter known as the 'stream of bat's piss' argument, deriving from Monty Python: "Your Highness, when I say you are like a stream of bat's piss, I only mean that you shine out like a shaft of gold when all around it is dark."), holds that Israel is a miraculous, liberal democratic survivor "surrounded by enemies dedicated to its destruction and the extermination of its inhabitants," hereinafter known as the Amalek-Dalek exterminator assertion. [Amalek: the archetypal Biblical enemy of the Jews, against whom King David waged a war of extermination. Some Israeli settler fanatics are wont to see the present indigenous Palestinan Arabs as Amalek.] "It would be interesting to know how many of the individuals and organisations in the anti-Israel advertisement...have ever protested against the dictatorship, torture, sexism, racism, censorship, military imprisonment and denial of human rights rife among Israel's opponents," he asked, combining the classic Zionist defensive technique of finger-pointing (hereinafter known as the 'Why are you pickin' on me, Miss? They're doin' it too' diversion) at other, presumably Arab countries (and Iran of course), with broad brush smear, obviating the need for specifics which might invite rebuttal. In this treatment Israel is as white as Arabs/Muslims are black.

Merv Morris of East St Kilda, Vic, in a staple of Zionist propaganda, trades on the legacy of the Nazi Holocaust (hereinafter known as the 'My Holocaust is bigger than your holocaust' boast) to justify Israel's existence at the expense of Palestinian national rights, suggesting that if Israel had been around then it would've provided "sanctuary" for its victims. [See my previous post] Merv, like Bill, uses a variant of the 'stream of bat's piss' argument, describing Israel as "a beacon of enlightenment, egalitarianism and democracy in an area of repression, fundamentalism and black hatred," and concludes with a grizzle about how Israel is "misrepresented internationally," hereinafter known as the 'Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. I think I'll go eat worms' whine.

George Adamowicz, of Brighton, Vic, having dusted off his battered copy of Leon Uris' propaganda novel, Exodus, trots out the old Amalek-Dalek exterminator assertion in his reference to "the invasion of the fledgling state by Arab armies intent on wiping it out." He then hilariously castigates the defenders of Amalek-Dalek as "lacking compassion for the other side."

Mark Reid, Doncaster, Vic, invokes the 'My Holocaust is bigger than your holocaust' boast to falsely claim, in response to a correspondent from the day before, that, no, Israel was not "founded on the blood of hundreds and thousands of Palestinians" but rather "on the ashes of millions who were executed in the Nazi Holocaust." In reminding us "how much better off the Palestinians would be if, over the last 60 years, they had shed their victimhood to develop a democratic government," he uses a variant of the 'If only they'd pull their finger out' lament.

Paul Howes, National Secretary, AWU (Australian Workers Union), Sydney, NSW, in lamenting "those union leaders...and Labor MPs who line up in support of Hamas," asserts that Hamas has "a history of hostility to labour unions," a wonderful example of the 'Please Miss, the dog ate my homework' excuse: one assumes that Mr Howes' complaint about Hamas and labour unions relates to the Hamas takeover of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) Gaza offices in the context of Hamas' preemptive coup against Fatah in June 2007. [See my post Mainsewer Media Clueless in Gaza]. But really now, is it too much to expect a former "Research Officer with the Labor Council of NSW (awu.net.au, Personality Profiles: Paul Howes) to do a little homework before opening up on an issue like this? With a little googling, for example, he might have come across the aljazeera.net report of 14/7/07 by Omar Khalifa, Palestinian union hit on all sides. Khalifa writes that "The PGFTU, in the West Bank and Gaza, has been attacked from all sides - by Hamas, a Fatah militia and Israel..." Yes, Fatah and Israel. It is even more of a worry that Paul cannot distinguish between a matter of internal Palestinian wrangling and the overarching contextual issue of Palestine's comprehensive mugging by the Zionist colonial-settler project aka Israel. But perhaps there's another explanation: Howes, high school dropout, ex-Trot, member of the NSW Right and advocate for debate over whether Australia should go nuclear , is a protege of ex-AWU head, (& now federal Labor MP) Bill Shorten, who, in turn, is a mate of Visy chief Dick Pratt (fined $36 million recently for price-fixing), whose Pratt Foundation "donates more than $14 million a year to philanthropy in such [needy] countries as Australia, Israel and the US." (Rhapsody: Linking Culture between Israel & Australia, Jan-Mar 2008 p 13). Bill Shorten has, of course, like so many of our mainstream political and civic leaders, been Rambammed. (See my earlier post Rambammed)

Dr Philip Mendes & Professor Douglas Kirsner of Monash University, Vic, are of the opinion that those "who felt the need to advertise their continuing prejudice towards Israel...need to come to terms with reality," given that Israel was born of a 1947 UN resolution which the Amalek-Daleks just couldn't hack [See my previous post], causing them to attempt "to drown Israel at birth," yet another example of the Amalek-Dalek exterminator assertion. They further claim that "the Palestinian refugee tragedy" was "a direct by-product of that decision to go to war, " (another example of the use of the 'Why are you picking on me, Miss? They're doin' it too' diversion). Think about that. These two are are falsely claiming that there were no Palestinian refugees prior to the Amalek-Daleks hitting the warpath, another example of the 'Please, Miss, the dog ate my homework' excuse. So much for the credibility of Dr's & Prof's. In their letter we see our first example of the diversionary flying pig invocation, with Dr & Prof asserting that Palestinians and Israelis should be in the business of achieving "a compromise two-state solution." Now listen up, Pallies, despite Palestine being compromised down from 100% (pre-48) to 43% (UN Resolution 181) to 22% (48-67) to around 10% today, there's always more room for compromise! Typically, Dr & Prof are mum on the main impediment to a two-state solution (to Israel's problem), the always expanding, still illegal, Israeli settlements.

James Johnson of Bentleigh East, Vic, is "amazed to see an advertisement attacking Israel," with no mention of that UN vote in 1947 or the Palestinian rejection of it or the Amalek-Daleks who invaded "Israel...with the stated intention of 'pushing its population into the sea'." (Amalek-Dalek exterminator assertion alert!) And didn't we need reminding, yet agaiiin, that "Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East." ('Stream of bat's piss' argument alert!)

Peter Wertheim of Darling Point, NSW, alleges that "the parliamentary motion of support for Israel was passed unanimously," [A striking example of the 'Please Miss, the dog ate my homework' excuse, given that The Canberra Times (but not The Istralian*) had reported that "more than a dozen ministers and Labor backbenchers (& "some Liberal MPs") were absent." PM snubbed from all sides over Israeli motion, Ross Peake, 13/3/08] Peter plugs 47 agaiiin, and introduces the Amalek-Dalek assertion: "the invasion of the country by 5 Arab states in May 1948 or the gobbling up of the West Bank and Gaza Strip [before they were gobbled up by Zionist forces] by Jordan and Egypt..." Peter is also the first of our propagandists to invoke the talking point always kept in reserve for anyone who raises the issue of Palestinian refugees: "the dispossession of an equal number of Jews in Arab countries from their homes and livelihoods after 1948," hereinafter known as the 'I beat the crap out of you, but he allegedly beat the crap out of me, so we're equal, right? argument. Hm, "after 1948"? So the Palestinians were dispossessed first? Maybe, just maybe, the two issues are unrelated! And of course, whenever the issue of Palestinian refugees comes up, it's customary to assert that they have been "deliberately kept in refugee camps for decades to be used as pawns to serve the political agendas of their leaders and the educated fools in the West who support them [Hello, signatories!]." Well, that's easily dealt with: Israel implements UNGA Resolution 194, allowing the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands in Israel, and, hey presto, no more pawns! We might call this one the 'OK, so we gave 'em a stick to beat us with, but we sure as hell don't want it back' retort.

Dr Philip Cole of Townsville, Qld, wields the whinge of last resort - 'Miss, they're pickin' on me for no reason at all' plaint, aka the spurious accusation of anti-Semitism: "It seems that anti-semitism is the only form of racism that is not only acceptable, but positively fashionable..."

Ivan Kassel of St Ives, NSW, is disgusted and offended by "the advertiser's wrongful accusation of racism and ethnic cleansing occurring in Israel," despite the fact that these occurred in Palestine. He deploys the 'Israelis-target-only-terrorists, while-terrorists- always-hide-behind-human-shields' rationale: Israel "does all it can to limit civilian casualties." The Nakba ad calls Israel's establishment a "catastrophe," but Israel, Ivan tells us, was "formed by UN charter" [UN what?!] and in fact "is the land Jews were expelled from at least 2000 years before Palestinians arrived," the first use here of the trusty (but hypocritical) 'Thousands of years, and we still haven't gotten over it, but the Palestinians should - now!' line. If only Hamas would "lay down its arms and sit at a table," shrug's world-weary Ivan, yet another variant of the 'If only they'd pull their finger out' lament.
R W Corfield of Subiaco, WA, a staunch defender of dissent from the official line, would refer the signatories, described as a "bunch of troublemakers," to ASIO for investigation: "If that rather rabid advertisement on the alleged genocide in Palestine did nothing else, it would certainly have provided some more grist to ASIO's mill. Most of the usual suspects are there, of course, and a sprinkling of clergy with not enough to do." RW is convinced that, apart from death and taxes, "of two things I am certain...First, that the Jews are entitled to their state...Second, there was no genocide." He thinks it, therefore it is.

That's it, and here for the record is the tally:-

Amalek-Dalek exterminators assertion: 5

Stream of bat's piss argument: 3

'Please, Miss, the dog ate my homework' excuse: 3

'Why are you pickin' on me, Miss? They're doin it too' diversion: 2

'My Holocaust is bigger than your holocaust' boast: 2

'If only they'd pull their fingers out' lament: 2

'Nobody likes me. Everybody hates me. I think I'll go eat worms' whine: 1

Diversionary flying pig invocation: 1

'I beat the crap out of you, but he allegedly beat the crap out of me. So we're equal, right?' argument: 1

'OK, so we gave 'em a stick to beat us with, but we sure as hell don't want it back' retort: 1

'Miss, they're pickin' on me for no reason at all' plaint: 1

Israelis-target-only-terrorists, while-terrorists-always-hide-behind-human-shields rationale: 1

'Thousands of years, and we still haven't gotten over it, but the Palestinians should - now! line: 1

* The Istralian's 'reporting' for the day gives the impression that the only dissent came from Labor MP Julia Irwin: "The House of Representatives passed with bipartisan support a government motion marking the anniversary in May, with only Labor backbencher Julia Irwin abstaining from the vote in a protest at human rights abuses by Israel." The following information was left to the final paragraph: "Ms Irwin said at least 10 of her ALP colleagues and 4 Coalition parliamentarians had congratulated her on her stand."" (PM lauds Israel, but urges peace, Patrick Walters, Brad Norrington, 13/3/08)

Update: The torrent of letters on the Nakba ad continued with 6 in The Istralian of 14/3/08 under the grandiloquent heading, An epic and inspirational story in world history. Three of them provided further examples of the talking points already cited. Dr Bill Anderson, School of Historical Studies, University of Melbourne, Vic, in another blow to the credibility of our academic friends, begins with the 'Thousands of years, and we still haven't gotten over it, but the Palestinians should - now!' line: "After thousands of years in the land which is now Israel they were defeated, displaced and disperced by the Romans...They returned as sons and daughters returning home, not as colonial aggressors." That such mythological nonsense can gush from the pen of an academic from a School of Historical Studies is a terrible indictment of our universities. Nor does it get any better, ending with this variant of the stream of bat's piss argument: "Israel continues to survive as a bastion of democracy in a troubled region..."

Mervyn F Bendle, School of Arts & Social Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, dealing a third blow to academic credibility, launches his irritation at "the propaganda war against Israel," with the 'My Holocaust is bigger than your holocaust' boast: the ad's attempt to "promote the concept of al-Nakba (Catastrophe) of 1948 as a counterweight to the Holocaust (Shoah) that involved the extermination of 6 million Jews by the Nazis...[is designed] to relativise the horrendous tragedy suffered by the Jews and make it seem no greater than that allegedly suffered by the Palestinians at the hands of Israel...[and] to displace the Holocaust and make it appear that the Palestinians have suffered a greater tragedy. The goal, pursued by many Muslim leaders, is to deny that the Holocaust happened."

Dr George Foster, Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendents, Miranda, NSW, continues in the same vein with "Survivors of the Holocaust know the real meaning of ethnic cleansing and genocide," and concludes with his own variant on the 'Miss, they're pickin' on me for no reason' plaint: "To compare Israel's actions in defence of its citizens...with Nazi Germany policies of extermination - as that advertisement does - is frankly anti-semitic..." That the Nakba ad makes no mention whatever of Nazis, but simply and objectively points out that Israel is because Palestine isn't, escapes him.

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.