Hmm...
"It has been dubbed Scott Morrison's secret $500,000 fundraising coup - and it happened at billionaire Anthony Pratt's mansion [Raheen in March]... Here's what we missed. [Liberal federal president Nick Greiner made sure to invite Charles Goode, he of the impressive Melbourne Rolodex and also the chair of the Cormack Foundation, the much debated $75 million Liberal-aligned donor. And Greiner - the clever man - made sure Goode was seated next to the Prime Minister. Scomo sure didn't waste the opportunity. We are informed by senior Liberal sources that before the Raheen dinner, the Cormack Foundation - whose board also includes former PM John Howard and fellow grandee Richard Alston - had agreed to donate $3m to the federal party's campaign fund. After Morrison's dinner chat with Goode that amount was increased by $500,000 to a record $3.5m..." (ScoMo's $500,000 booster, Margin Call, Will Glasgow & Christine Lacy, The Australian, 9/5/19)
Remember how, despite former PM Malcolm Turnbull's extensive services to Netanyahu, he had to pay $1.75m of his own money to pay for his 2016 election campaign? (If not, see my 6/3/18 post Poor Old Malcolm.)
Well, what to make of the above? Seems like Anthony Pratt's Raheen was no more than a venue for this fundraiser, and Howard and Alston, like Turnbull before them, are having to dip into their own pockets to fund Morrison's election campaign.
Which has me puzzled: if the Zionist money of yore is no longer forthcoming, then why are these Liberal Party clowns still bending over backwards, foreign policy-wise, for Israel?
Showing posts with label Malcolm Turnbull. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malcolm Turnbull. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Know Your Prime Minister
Some insights into the character of Australia's PM Scott Morrison, culled from Herald journalist Peter Hartcher's expose: 'He was in it right up to his neck': How Morrison deposed a PM (26/3/19)
His duplicity:
"When a reporter asked Scott Morrison if he had ambitions for Malcolm Turnbull's job at a joint press conference, he responded by throwing a friendly arm around his prime minister's shoulder. 'This is my leader and I'm ambitious for him!' he declared exuberantly. That was on August 22, 2018. Two days later, Turnbull was gone. Morrison had taken his place."
His disciples:
"Once Turnbull had realised he probably couldn't survive, his key numbers man, Craig Laundy, the workplace minister at the time, agreed to talk to Morrison's backers about the situation. They were now simply doing the numbers for Morrison. The Turnbull and Morrison camps were united in seeking to block Dutton. Laundy sat down in the office of one of Morrison's key organisers, Alex Hawke... two days after the first ballot. He found himself in a meeting of Morrison's core support crew - Hawke, Stuart Robert, Ben Morton, Lucy Wicks and Bert van Manen. It was the Morrison prayer group... "
His scheming:
"Joyce told Turnbull, 'But Morrison is a schemer. Watch out for him. He's going to come for you.' To be noted as a schemer in a profession of schemers is a professional compliment. Such was Morrison's reputation in the Coalition."
His fascism:
"As the new immigration minister, Morrison brought forward a proposal to start detaining asylum seekers who were living in Australia on bridging visas awaiting the outcome of applications for permanent visas, according to multiple former and current ministers and officials. These were people living in the community. Morrison asked for $9 billion to $10 billion... to pay for a mass detention program. There were some 30,000 people in this category in Australia at that time... A spokesman for the Prime Minister said he had no recollection of such a proposal."
His duplicity:
"When a reporter asked Scott Morrison if he had ambitions for Malcolm Turnbull's job at a joint press conference, he responded by throwing a friendly arm around his prime minister's shoulder. 'This is my leader and I'm ambitious for him!' he declared exuberantly. That was on August 22, 2018. Two days later, Turnbull was gone. Morrison had taken his place."
His disciples:
"Once Turnbull had realised he probably couldn't survive, his key numbers man, Craig Laundy, the workplace minister at the time, agreed to talk to Morrison's backers about the situation. They were now simply doing the numbers for Morrison. The Turnbull and Morrison camps were united in seeking to block Dutton. Laundy sat down in the office of one of Morrison's key organisers, Alex Hawke... two days after the first ballot. He found himself in a meeting of Morrison's core support crew - Hawke, Stuart Robert, Ben Morton, Lucy Wicks and Bert van Manen. It was the Morrison prayer group... "
His scheming:
"Joyce told Turnbull, 'But Morrison is a schemer. Watch out for him. He's going to come for you.' To be noted as a schemer in a profession of schemers is a professional compliment. Such was Morrison's reputation in the Coalition."
His fascism:
"As the new immigration minister, Morrison brought forward a proposal to start detaining asylum seekers who were living in Australia on bridging visas awaiting the outcome of applications for permanent visas, according to multiple former and current ministers and officials. These were people living in the community. Morrison asked for $9 billion to $10 billion... to pay for a mass detention program. There were some 30,000 people in this category in Australia at that time... A spokesman for the Prime Minister said he had no recollection of such a proposal."
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Dave Sharma: His Brilliant Career
2013
* "Australia's next ambassador to Israel [Dave Sharma] hopes to change what he says is 'a bit of a one-dimensional impression' of Israel among the wider Australian public." (Our man in Israel, The Australian Jewish News, 17/5/13)
Who'd have thought that burnishing another country's image was the job of an Australian ambassador?
* "Ziv Hospital is a profound example of humanity and decency at its most compelling. It is Israel at its very best, and a side of Israel that the world too rarely acknowledges." (Origin no bar to Israel lifesavers, Dave Sharma, The Australian, 31/8/13)
That, btw, was just the first of Sharma's opinion pieces celebrating the joy of Israel in Murdoch's Australian.
2014
* The highlight of Sharma's career as Australia's ambassador to Israel must surely have been his hobnobbing with Israel's housing and construction minister, Uri Ariel (Habayit Hayehudi MP) in - wait for it - occupied East Jerusalem - which prompted Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat to write in protest to Australian officials at the time: "It should noted that diplomatic recognition of the situation created by the attempted annexation of our capital is a flagrant violation of international law... Australia's Ambassador to Israel meeting with Israel officials in East Jerusalem has the effect of attempting to legitimize the illegal situation on the ground and may be deemed as aiding, abetting or otherwise assisting illegal Israeli policies... As such, Australia's actions are tantamount to complicity in ongoing Israeli violations of the international laws of war." (Bishop rebuked over envoy's East Jerusalem visit, Daniel Flitton, Sydney Morning Herald, 17/5/14)
Remember, this happened years before Trump's decision to move the US embassy to [West!] Jerusalem.
And how do we even know about Sharma's shenanigans back then? Only because of Uri Ariel's crowing about his achievement in bagging him:
"In fact, nobody would have known this meeting was happening, had if not been for a press release distributed by Ariel's bureau blatantly pointing out the fact that the talks between the two were taking place at the government compound in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Most of the international community does not recognize Israel's authority in East Jerusalem. Therefore, few diplomats or representatives of foreign nations - if at all - would come to an official meeting with Israeli politicians or government officials in that part of the city. Media outlets self-identified as right-wing and with Ariel's Habayit Hayehudi... were quick to publish that the meeting was taking place, presenting it as a sort of Australian recognition of Israel authority over East Jerusalem." (PA complains to Australia after envoy meets Israeli official in East Jerusalem, Barak Ravid, Haaretz, 15/5/14)
2018
* "And if the Liberals hold the seat of Wentworth with new candidate Dave Sharma, [PM Scott Morrison] will have one of the most brilliant young diplomats of recent decades joining an already powerful team in national security." (Morrison prepares to take his place on the international stage, Greg Sheridan, The Australian, 15/9/18)
From Zionist dupe to "brilliant" diplomat in 4 years! Just wow! But how to explain how such a "brilliant" diplomat can put his foot in it to this extent: "Dave Sharma... has apologised for comments that teachers are 'underemployed'. 'School employees and teachers are similarly underemployed, working hours closer to three-quarters of a regular full-time job,' Mr Sharma wrote in an opinion peace for the Herald earlier this year. He apologize yesterday after receiving strong criticism for the comments from prominent Australian authors, educators and parents. 'I know teachers work really hard and around the clock,' Mr Sharma told the Herald yesterday. '[The article] was more provocative than it should have been; it was just meant to get people thinking about how schools are still a post-war institution even though life and families have moved on.' Mr. Sharma also wrote on Twitter this week that he owes 'all teachers an unreserve apology'. (Sharma sorry for insult to teachers, Pallavi Singhal, Sydney Morning Herald, 20/9/18)
* "Some of Sydney's wealthiest business leaders are lining up to throw money behind the new candidate for Wentworth, Dave Sharma, who has been described as 'the Liberals' Obama... Billionaires James Packer and Solomon Lew threw their support behind Mr Sharma. He also had the backing of prominent Sydneysider David Gonski and Jewish leader Rabbi Levi Wolff from the Central Synagogue in Bondi. A senior Liberal said Mr Sharma's ability to draw significant donations would be 'eye-watering'." (Billionaires lining up to back 'Liberals' Obama', Alexandra Smith, Sydney Morning Herald, 15/9/18)
Alas, that Monday's (17/9) letters to the editor, while scornful of Sharma's backers, missed the point. As, for example, this, from reader Frank H Talbot of Riverview: "Billionaires lining up to back a candidate in Wentworth? Something wrong here. Lincoln said government should be 'of the people, by the people, for the people.' This sound more like 'of the wealthy, by the wealthy, for the wealthy'."
* "Liberal Dave Sharma isn't just raising money from rich-listers for his Wentworth tilt. The entrepreneurial Sharma is also currently overseeing the raising of $10 million for an Israeli tech company - Shekel Brainweigh - which the former diplomat shares and hopes to list on the local stock exchange next month. Shekel Brainweigh - an outfit that makes weighing technology for grocery self-checkouts - is planning to float on the ASX on October 26. That is the week after the Wentworth by-election. What a busy candidate!". (Sharma weighs his options, Will Glasgow & Christine Lacy, The Australian Business Review, 28/9/18)
Happily, the above piece throws some much-needed light on Sharma's seeming star-crossed affair with Israel. Twelve-and-a-half percent of Wentworth's electors are Jewish, the bulk of whom would consider themselves to be pro-Israel to a greater or lesser degree. The electorate is, if you like, Sydney's Zionist central. Malcolm Turnbull, of course, bent over backwards to keep the Zionists there sweet, hosting a visit to these shores last year by Netanyahu, and visiting Israel in turn the same year.
Typically, what has been omitted from the msm coverage of Sharma's bid to step into the former prime minister's shoes as the MP for Wentworth is the Zionist connection. It is fair to say that he has been parachuted from his North Shore home into Wentworth largely in order to satisfy its Zionist faithful - not, as the msm would have us believe, because he is some kind of pin-up boy for billionaires, Jewish or otherwise (Packer being a mate of Netanyahu's btw). Yet again, a lazy, cowardly, self-censoring Australian msm has failed to make this Zionist connection clear in its coverage.
* "Australia's next ambassador to Israel [Dave Sharma] hopes to change what he says is 'a bit of a one-dimensional impression' of Israel among the wider Australian public." (Our man in Israel, The Australian Jewish News, 17/5/13)
Who'd have thought that burnishing another country's image was the job of an Australian ambassador?
* "Ziv Hospital is a profound example of humanity and decency at its most compelling. It is Israel at its very best, and a side of Israel that the world too rarely acknowledges." (Origin no bar to Israel lifesavers, Dave Sharma, The Australian, 31/8/13)
That, btw, was just the first of Sharma's opinion pieces celebrating the joy of Israel in Murdoch's Australian.
2014
* The highlight of Sharma's career as Australia's ambassador to Israel must surely have been his hobnobbing with Israel's housing and construction minister, Uri Ariel (Habayit Hayehudi MP) in - wait for it - occupied East Jerusalem - which prompted Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat to write in protest to Australian officials at the time: "It should noted that diplomatic recognition of the situation created by the attempted annexation of our capital is a flagrant violation of international law... Australia's Ambassador to Israel meeting with Israel officials in East Jerusalem has the effect of attempting to legitimize the illegal situation on the ground and may be deemed as aiding, abetting or otherwise assisting illegal Israeli policies... As such, Australia's actions are tantamount to complicity in ongoing Israeli violations of the international laws of war." (Bishop rebuked over envoy's East Jerusalem visit, Daniel Flitton, Sydney Morning Herald, 17/5/14)
Remember, this happened years before Trump's decision to move the US embassy to [West!] Jerusalem.
And how do we even know about Sharma's shenanigans back then? Only because of Uri Ariel's crowing about his achievement in bagging him:
"In fact, nobody would have known this meeting was happening, had if not been for a press release distributed by Ariel's bureau blatantly pointing out the fact that the talks between the two were taking place at the government compound in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Most of the international community does not recognize Israel's authority in East Jerusalem. Therefore, few diplomats or representatives of foreign nations - if at all - would come to an official meeting with Israeli politicians or government officials in that part of the city. Media outlets self-identified as right-wing and with Ariel's Habayit Hayehudi... were quick to publish that the meeting was taking place, presenting it as a sort of Australian recognition of Israel authority over East Jerusalem." (PA complains to Australia after envoy meets Israeli official in East Jerusalem, Barak Ravid, Haaretz, 15/5/14)
2018
* "And if the Liberals hold the seat of Wentworth with new candidate Dave Sharma, [PM Scott Morrison] will have one of the most brilliant young diplomats of recent decades joining an already powerful team in national security." (Morrison prepares to take his place on the international stage, Greg Sheridan, The Australian, 15/9/18)
From Zionist dupe to "brilliant" diplomat in 4 years! Just wow! But how to explain how such a "brilliant" diplomat can put his foot in it to this extent: "Dave Sharma... has apologised for comments that teachers are 'underemployed'. 'School employees and teachers are similarly underemployed, working hours closer to three-quarters of a regular full-time job,' Mr Sharma wrote in an opinion peace for the Herald earlier this year. He apologize yesterday after receiving strong criticism for the comments from prominent Australian authors, educators and parents. 'I know teachers work really hard and around the clock,' Mr Sharma told the Herald yesterday. '[The article] was more provocative than it should have been; it was just meant to get people thinking about how schools are still a post-war institution even though life and families have moved on.' Mr. Sharma also wrote on Twitter this week that he owes 'all teachers an unreserve apology'. (Sharma sorry for insult to teachers, Pallavi Singhal, Sydney Morning Herald, 20/9/18)
* "Some of Sydney's wealthiest business leaders are lining up to throw money behind the new candidate for Wentworth, Dave Sharma, who has been described as 'the Liberals' Obama... Billionaires James Packer and Solomon Lew threw their support behind Mr Sharma. He also had the backing of prominent Sydneysider David Gonski and Jewish leader Rabbi Levi Wolff from the Central Synagogue in Bondi. A senior Liberal said Mr Sharma's ability to draw significant donations would be 'eye-watering'." (Billionaires lining up to back 'Liberals' Obama', Alexandra Smith, Sydney Morning Herald, 15/9/18)
Alas, that Monday's (17/9) letters to the editor, while scornful of Sharma's backers, missed the point. As, for example, this, from reader Frank H Talbot of Riverview: "Billionaires lining up to back a candidate in Wentworth? Something wrong here. Lincoln said government should be 'of the people, by the people, for the people.' This sound more like 'of the wealthy, by the wealthy, for the wealthy'."
* "Liberal Dave Sharma isn't just raising money from rich-listers for his Wentworth tilt. The entrepreneurial Sharma is also currently overseeing the raising of $10 million for an Israeli tech company - Shekel Brainweigh - which the former diplomat shares and hopes to list on the local stock exchange next month. Shekel Brainweigh - an outfit that makes weighing technology for grocery self-checkouts - is planning to float on the ASX on October 26. That is the week after the Wentworth by-election. What a busy candidate!". (Sharma weighs his options, Will Glasgow & Christine Lacy, The Australian Business Review, 28/9/18)
Happily, the above piece throws some much-needed light on Sharma's seeming star-crossed affair with Israel. Twelve-and-a-half percent of Wentworth's electors are Jewish, the bulk of whom would consider themselves to be pro-Israel to a greater or lesser degree. The electorate is, if you like, Sydney's Zionist central. Malcolm Turnbull, of course, bent over backwards to keep the Zionists there sweet, hosting a visit to these shores last year by Netanyahu, and visiting Israel in turn the same year.
Typically, what has been omitted from the msm coverage of Sharma's bid to step into the former prime minister's shoes as the MP for Wentworth is the Zionist connection. It is fair to say that he has been parachuted from his North Shore home into Wentworth largely in order to satisfy its Zionist faithful - not, as the msm would have us believe, because he is some kind of pin-up boy for billionaires, Jewish or otherwise (Packer being a mate of Netanyahu's btw). Yet again, a lazy, cowardly, self-censoring Australian msm has failed to make this Zionist connection clear in its coverage.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Where's Israel?
I just love the annual Lowy Institute Poll and its 'Feelings Thermometer', don't you?
"Please rate your feelings towards some countries, with 100 meaning a very warm, favourable feeling, zero meaning a very cold, unfavourable feeling... "
"This year for the first time," says the Poll, in its gloss, Feelings towards other countries, "we have included in the same 'thermometer' question the three nations Australians have felt most warmly towards in the past: New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Each is very warmly regarded, and the separation between them is almost insignificant."
I just don't understand! Why isn't Israel included here?
After all, PM Harbourside Mansion (salary now almost $538,500) is on record as saying that we and Israel share the values of "ingenuity, resilience and hard work," and that "we have an unbreakable bond that is only getting stronger."
UNBREAKABLE, mate!
"Please rate your feelings towards some countries, with 100 meaning a very warm, favourable feeling, zero meaning a very cold, unfavourable feeling... "
"This year for the first time," says the Poll, in its gloss, Feelings towards other countries, "we have included in the same 'thermometer' question the three nations Australians have felt most warmly towards in the past: New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Each is very warmly regarded, and the separation between them is almost insignificant."
I just don't understand! Why isn't Israel included here?
After all, PM Harbourside Mansion (salary now almost $538,500) is on record as saying that we and Israel share the values of "ingenuity, resilience and hard work," and that "we have an unbreakable bond that is only getting stronger."
UNBREAKABLE, mate!
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Malcolm's Party
It has been said that the fish stinks from the head down. Well, you can smell the head of Australia's governing Liberal Party a mile away. Get a whiff of this:
Last year...
"Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is the highest paid politician in the OECD... Mr Turnbull's base pay rose to $527,854 after the independent Remuneration Tribunal ordered a 2% pay rise for politicians last year, delivering him a $10,000 jump." (Turnbull's pay highest of any OECD leader, Eryk Bagshaw, The Sun-Herald, 27/5/47)
Next month...
"Malcolm Turnbull will pocket a pay rise of more than $10,000 next month after the independent Remuneration Tribunal decided to lift salaries for federal politicians by 2%... The decision will see the Prime Minister's annual income rise to $538,460... " ($10k top-up for Turnbull as pay lifted for MPs, Joe Kelly, The Australian, 14/6/18)
Then, of course, there's the awful stench of the party's rank and vile:
"The [Liberal Party's] council... voted, by a narrow margin of 43 to 31 votes, to relocate the Australian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a highly contentious move opposed by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop during the debate." (Liberal Party council votes to sell off the ABC, David Crowe, smh.com.au, 16/6/18)
Smelling salts, anyone?
Last year...
"Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is the highest paid politician in the OECD... Mr Turnbull's base pay rose to $527,854 after the independent Remuneration Tribunal ordered a 2% pay rise for politicians last year, delivering him a $10,000 jump." (Turnbull's pay highest of any OECD leader, Eryk Bagshaw, The Sun-Herald, 27/5/47)
Next month...
"Malcolm Turnbull will pocket a pay rise of more than $10,000 next month after the independent Remuneration Tribunal decided to lift salaries for federal politicians by 2%... The decision will see the Prime Minister's annual income rise to $538,460... " ($10k top-up for Turnbull as pay lifted for MPs, Joe Kelly, The Australian, 14/6/18)
Then, of course, there's the awful stench of the party's rank and vile:
"The [Liberal Party's] council... voted, by a narrow margin of 43 to 31 votes, to relocate the Australian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a highly contentious move opposed by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop during the debate." (Liberal Party council votes to sell off the ABC, David Crowe, smh.com.au, 16/6/18)
Smelling salts, anyone?
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Poor Old Malcom
Oh dear:
"Turnbull himself was of course the biggest donor to his own re-election in 2016, giving a declared $1.75 million... This year, party officials hope to trot the Prime Minister out as a regular attraction in the hope his presence will loosen wallets for party events." (War chest divides the Libs, Pamela Williams, The Australian, 5/3/18)
What ever happened to the Zionist donations of yore?
I mean, it's not as if Turnbull hasn't sung for his supper.
Let me remind you how he wined and dined Benjamin Netanyahu in Australia in February 2017, surrounded by what one journalist described at the time as "a sea of [Zionist] billionaires and millionaires" (see my 26/2/17 post 'A Sea of Billionaires & Millionaires' ), and was wined and dined in return in Israel in October (see my 3/11/17 post Same Sex Marriage in Beersheba), with Netanyahu declaring that the ANZACS "opened the gateway for the Jewish people to reenter history," and Turnbull declaring that they were "fulfilling history."
Same songbook. Same page. No daylight.
Surely, no Australian PM has done more to suck up to Israel while in office than Turnbull.
But for what?
I mean, what more does the poor man have to do to loosen those wallets? How much lower can he go?
Follow the American and Guatemalan example and officially recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital?
Jesus wept!
And you thought his biggest problem was Barnaby Joyce...
"Turnbull himself was of course the biggest donor to his own re-election in 2016, giving a declared $1.75 million... This year, party officials hope to trot the Prime Minister out as a regular attraction in the hope his presence will loosen wallets for party events." (War chest divides the Libs, Pamela Williams, The Australian, 5/3/18)
What ever happened to the Zionist donations of yore?
I mean, it's not as if Turnbull hasn't sung for his supper.
Let me remind you how he wined and dined Benjamin Netanyahu in Australia in February 2017, surrounded by what one journalist described at the time as "a sea of [Zionist] billionaires and millionaires" (see my 26/2/17 post 'A Sea of Billionaires & Millionaires' ), and was wined and dined in return in Israel in October (see my 3/11/17 post Same Sex Marriage in Beersheba), with Netanyahu declaring that the ANZACS "opened the gateway for the Jewish people to reenter history," and Turnbull declaring that they were "fulfilling history."
Same songbook. Same page. No daylight.
Surely, no Australian PM has done more to suck up to Israel while in office than Turnbull.
But for what?
I mean, what more does the poor man have to do to loosen those wallets? How much lower can he go?
Follow the American and Guatemalan example and officially recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital?
Jesus wept!
And you thought his biggest problem was Barnaby Joyce...
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Jerusalem Tweets
Jeremy Corbyn - Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, including occupied Palestinian territory, is a reckless threat to peace. The British Government must condemn this dangerous act and work for a just and viable settlement of the conflict. (6/12/17)
Meanwhile, on another planet entirely:
Malcolm Turnbull - 0
Bill Shorten - 0
Julie Bishop - 0
Tanya Plibersek - 0
Meanwhile, on another planet entirely:
Malcolm Turnbull - 0
Bill Shorten - 0
Julie Bishop - 0
Tanya Plibersek - 0
Friday, November 3, 2017
Same Sex Marriage at Beersheba
For king & country? Nah. For the sons & daughters of Abraham, mate :
"Nearly 4,000 years ago, Abraham came to Be'er Sheba... Exactly 100 years ago, brave ANZAC soldiers liberated Beer Sheba for the sons and daughters of Abraham and opened the gateway for the Jewish people to reenter the stage of history." (Netanyahu's address at the 31/10/2017 memorial ceremony for the ANZAC troops who fought and died at Beersheba on 31/10/17, jwire.com.au)
Blood brothers, mate:
"This momentous occasion was a historic milestone in the natural kinship between our peoples."
And Bible-bashers to boot, mate:
"ANZAC soldiers... were retracing the footsteps of the heroes of the Bible... stepping on the verses of the Bible, and they knew it, and their clergy who spoke of this so movingly a moment ago, they knew it too."
Round two, mate:
"In the defeat at Gallipoli, two things were forged. One, the absolute resolve of the ANZAC forces to redeem their fallen brethren and establish this glorious victory here."
Love at first sight, mate:
"And the second thing that was forged was the first meeting between ANZAC fighters and Jewish fighters, the first Jewish fighters who stood shoulder to shoulder with them in Gallipoli, the first Jewish fighting force in 2,000 years."
A National Home among the gum trees, mate:
"When I joined the Israeli army 50 years ago... I was given a broad hat. It was called an Australian hat... We also sat next to eucalyptus trees that came from Australia."
***
Yes, Bibi, even if they tag me a Christian Zionist, I'm going to say it: fulfilling history!!!:
"'The mad Australians', was a common description. Not so mad. Brave, heroic, turning the tide of history, making history, fulfilling history." (Turnbull's address)
Oh yes, Bibi, without the ANZACs Johnny Turk'd still be ruling the, er, your roost:
"That [taking of Beersheba] did not create the State of Israel, but enabled its creation. Had the Ottoman rule in Palestine and Syria not been overthrown by the Australians and New Zealanders, the Balfour Declaration would have been empty words."
I'm sorry, Bibi, I just can't contain myself any longer. I want to shout it from the rooftops! Izzy, Izzy, Izzy, Oi, Oi, Oi:
"But this was a step for the creation of Israel... and while those young men may not have foreseen, no doubt did not foresee the extraordinary success of the State of Israel, its foundations, its resilience, its determination, its indomitability against overwhelming odds, their spirit was the same. Like the State of Israel has done ever since, they defied history, they made history and with their courage they fulfilled history."
"Nearly 4,000 years ago, Abraham came to Be'er Sheba... Exactly 100 years ago, brave ANZAC soldiers liberated Beer Sheba for the sons and daughters of Abraham and opened the gateway for the Jewish people to reenter the stage of history." (Netanyahu's address at the 31/10/2017 memorial ceremony for the ANZAC troops who fought and died at Beersheba on 31/10/17, jwire.com.au)
Blood brothers, mate:
"This momentous occasion was a historic milestone in the natural kinship between our peoples."
And Bible-bashers to boot, mate:
"ANZAC soldiers... were retracing the footsteps of the heroes of the Bible... stepping on the verses of the Bible, and they knew it, and their clergy who spoke of this so movingly a moment ago, they knew it too."
Round two, mate:
"In the defeat at Gallipoli, two things were forged. One, the absolute resolve of the ANZAC forces to redeem their fallen brethren and establish this glorious victory here."
Love at first sight, mate:
"And the second thing that was forged was the first meeting between ANZAC fighters and Jewish fighters, the first Jewish fighters who stood shoulder to shoulder with them in Gallipoli, the first Jewish fighting force in 2,000 years."
A National Home among the gum trees, mate:
"When I joined the Israeli army 50 years ago... I was given a broad hat. It was called an Australian hat... We also sat next to eucalyptus trees that came from Australia."
***
Yes, Bibi, even if they tag me a Christian Zionist, I'm going to say it: fulfilling history!!!:
"'The mad Australians', was a common description. Not so mad. Brave, heroic, turning the tide of history, making history, fulfilling history." (Turnbull's address)
Oh yes, Bibi, without the ANZACs Johnny Turk'd still be ruling the, er, your roost:
"That [taking of Beersheba] did not create the State of Israel, but enabled its creation. Had the Ottoman rule in Palestine and Syria not been overthrown by the Australians and New Zealanders, the Balfour Declaration would have been empty words."
I'm sorry, Bibi, I just can't contain myself any longer. I want to shout it from the rooftops! Izzy, Izzy, Izzy, Oi, Oi, Oi:
"But this was a step for the creation of Israel... and while those young men may not have foreseen, no doubt did not foresee the extraordinary success of the State of Israel, its foundations, its resilience, its determination, its indomitability against overwhelming odds, their spirit was the same. Like the State of Israel has done ever since, they defied history, they made history and with their courage they fulfilled history."
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Turnbull & Pratt's Beersheba Duet
The Pratt Foundation-funded magazine, Beersheba: Legend of the Light Horse, that came with last Saturday's Weekend Australian, begins with two editorials, on facing pages, the first by PM Turnbull, the second by the Foundation's Anthony Pratt (son of the late Dick Pratt).
Predictably, Turnbull's is a transparently Zionist propaganda brew, which conflates, in complete defiance of the historical record, the charge of the Australian Light Horse at Beersheba (31/10/17), the Balfour Declaration (2/11/17) and the creation of the state of Israel (14/5/48):
"The charge of the Australian Light Horse at Beersheba has inspired Australians for generations The veterans of the charge re-enacted it in Charles Chauvel's 1940 movie Forty Thousand Horsemen - a confidence booster for a beleaguered nation at war. As a young boy at boarding school in the early '60s I watched it again and again - we all imagined ourselves spurring our horses through the Ottoman fire, leaping across the trenches and onward to victory... Just weeks later, the Australians marched with General Allenby into Jerusalem, while in London the Balfour Declaration was signed, paving the way for the creation of the modern state of Israel. A century on, the city of Be'er Sheva is an oasis of technology and great practical ideas - a shining example of the best attributes of Israel and the Israeli people - ingenuity, resilience, and hard work. Today, Australia and Israel share these values. We have an unbreakable bond that is only getting stronger. As we honour the memory and sacrifice of the Anzacs of 1917, and in the years to come. Lest we forget." (Our unbreakable bond)
Apart from Turnbull's chronological confusion (the BD came before the takeover of Jerusalem), what is significant here is that in addition to his blatant fabrication of Australian and Palestinian history, he also appears to be embroidering on his own, personal history:
As Paddy Manning's biography of Turnbull, Born to Rule (2015), reveals, young Malcolm was packed off to a boarding school in 1963 at the age of 8. Curiously, in his editorial, Turnbull recounts watching Chauvel's Forty Thousand Horsemen "at boarding school in the early '60s...again and again." Now I can understand one of his teachers screening the film once, but "again and again"? WTF is going on here?
Quite apart from what repeated showings might imply about the teacher in question (some kind of obsessive military fanatic?), surely the inevitable chorus of 'Aw, sir, not again!' would deter any but the most foolhardy teacher from this practice. And as for Malcolm and his classmates imagining themselves "spurring our horses through the Ottoman fire, leaping across the trenches and onward to victory," Turnbull once disclosed that "I would struggle to find one positive memory of my time at boarding school... really it was a bleak, bleak period for me." (Manning, p 21)
As for Pratt's contribution, it reads like an echo of Turnbull's. (Or should that be the other way around?):
"Next Tuesday, October 31, 2017, Australia will mark the 100th anniversary of the victorious charge by 800 Lighthorsemen against the Turkish defences at Beersheba. The 'shock and awe' victory changed the course of Middle East history, and paved the way for Israel's establishment some three decades later. It's entirely fitting, therefore, that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will lead the Australian delegation at the Centenary commemoration services in Be'er Sheva, the modern Israeli city that has arisen around the former battleground, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin will represent Israel. In honouring the historic moment for both nations, I'd like to note that the Light Horse Centenary also has a personal significance for the Pratt family. While the Centenary's opening ceremony... is to be in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Beersheva, the concluding ceremony will happen at the Park of the Australian Soldier, just a few kilometres away in the same city. The Park, a Pratt Foundation initiative to honour Australia's military involvement in the Middle East at critical times in Israel's history,* was opened in 2008... " (A proud legacy)
The fact is that the Pratt Foundation's 'Park of the Australian Soldier' is really all about Israel. The Park is an integral part of a Zionist propaganda initiative, whereby a moment of Australian and Turkish military history has been appropriated and misrepresented as somehow uniquely enabling (and legitimising) the much later installation of a Jewish state in Palestine.
It should be obvious to all that the capture of Ottoman Beersheba by Australian forces in 1917 is being manipulated to fit the false Zionist historical narrative, primarily with a view to ensuring ongoing Australian diplomatic support for a pariah apartheid Israel in UN fora.
Turnbull, who hosted Netanyahu in Sydney earlier this year, could now, arguably, be described as the most Zionist of all Australian prime ministers, and a sycophant of the worst kind. And the irony is that it only seems like yesterday that he was slamming opposition leader Bill Shorten (who, like Turnbull, is currently partying in Israel) in federal parliament as "the great sycophant of billionaires," and accusing him, specifically, of "sucking up to [the late] Dick Pratt." That was back in February this year.
Predictably, Turnbull's is a transparently Zionist propaganda brew, which conflates, in complete defiance of the historical record, the charge of the Australian Light Horse at Beersheba (31/10/17), the Balfour Declaration (2/11/17) and the creation of the state of Israel (14/5/48):
"The charge of the Australian Light Horse at Beersheba has inspired Australians for generations The veterans of the charge re-enacted it in Charles Chauvel's 1940 movie Forty Thousand Horsemen - a confidence booster for a beleaguered nation at war. As a young boy at boarding school in the early '60s I watched it again and again - we all imagined ourselves spurring our horses through the Ottoman fire, leaping across the trenches and onward to victory... Just weeks later, the Australians marched with General Allenby into Jerusalem, while in London the Balfour Declaration was signed, paving the way for the creation of the modern state of Israel. A century on, the city of Be'er Sheva is an oasis of technology and great practical ideas - a shining example of the best attributes of Israel and the Israeli people - ingenuity, resilience, and hard work. Today, Australia and Israel share these values. We have an unbreakable bond that is only getting stronger. As we honour the memory and sacrifice of the Anzacs of 1917, and in the years to come. Lest we forget." (Our unbreakable bond)
Apart from Turnbull's chronological confusion (the BD came before the takeover of Jerusalem), what is significant here is that in addition to his blatant fabrication of Australian and Palestinian history, he also appears to be embroidering on his own, personal history:
As Paddy Manning's biography of Turnbull, Born to Rule (2015), reveals, young Malcolm was packed off to a boarding school in 1963 at the age of 8. Curiously, in his editorial, Turnbull recounts watching Chauvel's Forty Thousand Horsemen "at boarding school in the early '60s...again and again." Now I can understand one of his teachers screening the film once, but "again and again"? WTF is going on here?
Quite apart from what repeated showings might imply about the teacher in question (some kind of obsessive military fanatic?), surely the inevitable chorus of 'Aw, sir, not again!' would deter any but the most foolhardy teacher from this practice. And as for Malcolm and his classmates imagining themselves "spurring our horses through the Ottoman fire, leaping across the trenches and onward to victory," Turnbull once disclosed that "I would struggle to find one positive memory of my time at boarding school... really it was a bleak, bleak period for me." (Manning, p 21)
As for Pratt's contribution, it reads like an echo of Turnbull's. (Or should that be the other way around?):
"Next Tuesday, October 31, 2017, Australia will mark the 100th anniversary of the victorious charge by 800 Lighthorsemen against the Turkish defences at Beersheba. The 'shock and awe' victory changed the course of Middle East history, and paved the way for Israel's establishment some three decades later. It's entirely fitting, therefore, that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will lead the Australian delegation at the Centenary commemoration services in Be'er Sheva, the modern Israeli city that has arisen around the former battleground, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin will represent Israel. In honouring the historic moment for both nations, I'd like to note that the Light Horse Centenary also has a personal significance for the Pratt family. While the Centenary's opening ceremony... is to be in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Beersheva, the concluding ceremony will happen at the Park of the Australian Soldier, just a few kilometres away in the same city. The Park, a Pratt Foundation initiative to honour Australia's military involvement in the Middle East at critical times in Israel's history,* was opened in 2008... " (A proud legacy)
The fact is that the Pratt Foundation's 'Park of the Australian Soldier' is really all about Israel. The Park is an integral part of a Zionist propaganda initiative, whereby a moment of Australian and Turkish military history has been appropriated and misrepresented as somehow uniquely enabling (and legitimising) the much later installation of a Jewish state in Palestine.
It should be obvious to all that the capture of Ottoman Beersheba by Australian forces in 1917 is being manipulated to fit the false Zionist historical narrative, primarily with a view to ensuring ongoing Australian diplomatic support for a pariah apartheid Israel in UN fora.
Turnbull, who hosted Netanyahu in Sydney earlier this year, could now, arguably, be described as the most Zionist of all Australian prime ministers, and a sycophant of the worst kind. And the irony is that it only seems like yesterday that he was slamming opposition leader Bill Shorten (who, like Turnbull, is currently partying in Israel) in federal parliament as "the great sycophant of billionaires," and accusing him, specifically, of "sucking up to [the late] Dick Pratt." That was back in February this year.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Danby. Again.
After last week's expose of Michael Danby's wagging school to spend some quality time hanging with his Israeli mates, you'd think he'd give it a rest. But no:
"Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will raise the stalled extradition of former school principal and alleged sex offender Malka Leifer directly with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem next week in a bid to dramatically step up pressure on Israel over the issue. The move will be part of a broader bipartisan Australian push to to secure the extradition of Ms Leifer, who has claimed she is too ill to attend hearings in relation to her return to Australia to face 74 counts of child sex abuse while principal of an ultra-conservative Jewish school in Melbourne. An Australian political delegation, including Labor MPs Michael Danby, Mark Dreyfus, Mike Kelly and Gai Brodtmann has also sought to discuss the issue with Israel's Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked on October 30, the day before Israel commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba in 1917... Australian authorities have been dismayed by the Israeli justice system which has, in effect, shielded Ms Leifer from facing justice in Australia." (Bid to extradite Jewish educator, Cameron Stewart, The Australian, 23/10/17)
Footnote: "Dismayed by the Israeli 'justice' system"? As well they should be. 'Israeli justice' is an oxymoron.
"Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will raise the stalled extradition of former school principal and alleged sex offender Malka Leifer directly with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem next week in a bid to dramatically step up pressure on Israel over the issue. The move will be part of a broader bipartisan Australian push to to secure the extradition of Ms Leifer, who has claimed she is too ill to attend hearings in relation to her return to Australia to face 74 counts of child sex abuse while principal of an ultra-conservative Jewish school in Melbourne. An Australian political delegation, including Labor MPs Michael Danby, Mark Dreyfus, Mike Kelly and Gai Brodtmann has also sought to discuss the issue with Israel's Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked on October 30, the day before Israel commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba in 1917... Australian authorities have been dismayed by the Israeli justice system which has, in effect, shielded Ms Leifer from facing justice in Australia." (Bid to extradite Jewish educator, Cameron Stewart, The Australian, 23/10/17)
Footnote: "Dismayed by the Israeli 'justice' system"? As well they should be. 'Israeli justice' is an oxymoron.
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Trumble & Friends
What a stellar crowd they were at the Trumbull dinner out there on the ocean blue:
Greg Norman, golfing legend:
"World famous golfers designed the courses (my favorite was Riverside, developed by our own Greg Norman and carved out of natural rain forest)... " (Golf in Jakarta - holidaydestinationsaround the world.com)
Rupert Murdoch, NewsCorpse executive chairman:
"A powerful British parliamentary committee has labelled Rupert Murdoch unfit to run a major company..." (Murdoch 'not fit' to run News Corp, ABC News, 2/5/12)
Gina Rinehart, mining magnate:
"Rinehart was recently quoted by the Australian Resources & Investment magazine as saying, 'if you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain; do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing, and more time working'." (12 reasons why so many people hate Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, Megan Willett, businessinsider.com, 14/9/12)
Frank Lowy, Westfield boss:
Of course, our jolly former Golani brigade Palestinian Arab fighter and showerer of $$$ on assorted Israeli 'charities' and Australian political parties needs no introduction. (Just click on the Frank Lowy label below.)
Andrew Liveris, DOW Chemical CEO:
"Liveris also told top Dow executives that it was 'time for retirement' for one manager who had voiced concerns about the hotel cost overruns, according to emails included in Wood's OSHA complaint. According to the complaint, Dow's chief counsel, Charles Kalil, replied to Liveris the next day: 'Remind me never to piss you off'." (Dow Chemical's Australian CEO Andrew Liveris challenged on spending for years, documents show, Joshua Schneyer, smh.com.au, 7/5/15)
Jennifer Nason, JP Morgan & Chase's global chairman for technology, media and telecommunications investment banking:
"Can you share with us any plans for the future of AAA [American Australian Association]? 2017 is the 100 year Anniversary of Australia joining with the US in every conflict for 100 years. We are the only US ally that can say that." (Faces of AWNY [Australian Women in New York], australianwomeninnewyork.org, 26/11/16)
Michael Wirth, Chevron chairman:
"Energy giant Chevron donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Labor and Liberal parties before and after an enquiry into mining in the Great Australian Bight, sparking claims it is trying to buy political influence. Chevron hopes to begin drilling up to four wells in the environmentally sensitive Bight next year to search for oil and gas." (Chevron donates thousands to Labor, Liberal as it pushes oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight, Peter Jean, The Advertiser, 5/2/17)
Leigh Clifford, QANTAS chairman:
"On 23 March 2004, Rio Tinto announced it had sold its 11.9 % shareholding in [West Papua's] Freeport [mine]. Rio Tinto made a $518 million profit. Citing no environmental or social reasons, Rio Tinto's then chief executive Leigh Clifford reassured shareholders that 'the sale of [Freeport] does not affect the terms of the joint venture nor the management of the Grasberg mine' and that through 'our significant direct interest in Grasberg, we will continue to benefit from our relationship with Freeport'... In October 2005, the Norwegian government began 5 months of deliberations over [Freeport's] 'extensive, long-term and irreversible' environmental damage at the Grasberg complex... And so, in February 2006, Freeport became the first company that the Norwegians blacklisted for environmental reasons." (The silencing of West Papua, N.A.J. Taylor, crikey.com, 9/1/12)
John Travolta, actor:
"The film asserts that Travolta was a 'troubled young man looking for help' when he stumbled across Hubbard's book 'Dianetics'." (How Scientology controls John Travolta and Tom Cruise, according to 'Going Clear', Emily Yahr, The Washington Post, 30/3/15)
Wesley Bush, Northrop Grumman chief executive:
"US-based global cyber security company, Northrop Grumman, has chosen Australia as a partner in its new Advanced Cyber Technology Centre (ACTC), which is to be a focal point for cyber innovation across the corporation." (Investor Update: Australia a global centre for cyber innovation for Northrop Grumman, austrade.gov.au, 8/1/15)
Anthony Pratt, Visy Industries:
"'Tonight I'd like to pledge another $US2 billion over the next 10 years doubling our rate of investment to create an additional 5000 high paying manufacturing jobs mainly in the midwest,' Mr Pratt, who was seated beside First Lady Melania Trump at the dinner, said. Mr Trump stood up and clapped while the rest of the room mainly sat." (Donald Trump gives standing ovation to Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt, Peter Mitchell, smh.com.au, 5/5/17)
And what did they eat? I hear you cry:
"Guests dined on an entree... of asparagus, quail eggs, frico, mango treviso and basil and truffle vinaigrette. For the main course, it was dry-rubbed New York strip steak with watercress, tokyo turnips, garlic scape barley and pinot noir sauce. Desert, discarded by most guests as they mingled, was an option of Nutella Ring Ding with stracciatella gelato or vanilla roasted strawberries with moscato cream, rubber confit and lemon poppy buscuit and radish blossoms." (Stars & stripes: Celebrities flock to Trump-Turnbull dinner aboard battleship, Sharri Markson, Daily Telegraph, 6/5/17)
Greg Norman, golfing legend:
"World famous golfers designed the courses (my favorite was Riverside, developed by our own Greg Norman and carved out of natural rain forest)... " (Golf in Jakarta - holidaydestinationsaround the world.com)
Rupert Murdoch, NewsCorpse executive chairman:
"A powerful British parliamentary committee has labelled Rupert Murdoch unfit to run a major company..." (Murdoch 'not fit' to run News Corp, ABC News, 2/5/12)
Gina Rinehart, mining magnate:
"Rinehart was recently quoted by the Australian Resources & Investment magazine as saying, 'if you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain; do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing, and more time working'." (12 reasons why so many people hate Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, Megan Willett, businessinsider.com, 14/9/12)
Frank Lowy, Westfield boss:
Of course, our jolly former Golani brigade Palestinian Arab fighter and showerer of $$$ on assorted Israeli 'charities' and Australian political parties needs no introduction. (Just click on the Frank Lowy label below.)
Andrew Liveris, DOW Chemical CEO:
"Liveris also told top Dow executives that it was 'time for retirement' for one manager who had voiced concerns about the hotel cost overruns, according to emails included in Wood's OSHA complaint. According to the complaint, Dow's chief counsel, Charles Kalil, replied to Liveris the next day: 'Remind me never to piss you off'." (Dow Chemical's Australian CEO Andrew Liveris challenged on spending for years, documents show, Joshua Schneyer, smh.com.au, 7/5/15)
Jennifer Nason, JP Morgan & Chase's global chairman for technology, media and telecommunications investment banking:
"Can you share with us any plans for the future of AAA [American Australian Association]? 2017 is the 100 year Anniversary of Australia joining with the US in every conflict for 100 years. We are the only US ally that can say that." (Faces of AWNY [Australian Women in New York], australianwomeninnewyork.org, 26/11/16)
Michael Wirth, Chevron chairman:
"Energy giant Chevron donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Labor and Liberal parties before and after an enquiry into mining in the Great Australian Bight, sparking claims it is trying to buy political influence. Chevron hopes to begin drilling up to four wells in the environmentally sensitive Bight next year to search for oil and gas." (Chevron donates thousands to Labor, Liberal as it pushes oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight, Peter Jean, The Advertiser, 5/2/17)
Leigh Clifford, QANTAS chairman:
"On 23 March 2004, Rio Tinto announced it had sold its 11.9 % shareholding in [West Papua's] Freeport [mine]. Rio Tinto made a $518 million profit. Citing no environmental or social reasons, Rio Tinto's then chief executive Leigh Clifford reassured shareholders that 'the sale of [Freeport] does not affect the terms of the joint venture nor the management of the Grasberg mine' and that through 'our significant direct interest in Grasberg, we will continue to benefit from our relationship with Freeport'... In October 2005, the Norwegian government began 5 months of deliberations over [Freeport's] 'extensive, long-term and irreversible' environmental damage at the Grasberg complex... And so, in February 2006, Freeport became the first company that the Norwegians blacklisted for environmental reasons." (The silencing of West Papua, N.A.J. Taylor, crikey.com, 9/1/12)
John Travolta, actor:
"The film asserts that Travolta was a 'troubled young man looking for help' when he stumbled across Hubbard's book 'Dianetics'." (How Scientology controls John Travolta and Tom Cruise, according to 'Going Clear', Emily Yahr, The Washington Post, 30/3/15)
Wesley Bush, Northrop Grumman chief executive:
"US-based global cyber security company, Northrop Grumman, has chosen Australia as a partner in its new Advanced Cyber Technology Centre (ACTC), which is to be a focal point for cyber innovation across the corporation." (Investor Update: Australia a global centre for cyber innovation for Northrop Grumman, austrade.gov.au, 8/1/15)
Anthony Pratt, Visy Industries:
"'Tonight I'd like to pledge another $US2 billion over the next 10 years doubling our rate of investment to create an additional 5000 high paying manufacturing jobs mainly in the midwest,' Mr Pratt, who was seated beside First Lady Melania Trump at the dinner, said. Mr Trump stood up and clapped while the rest of the room mainly sat." (Donald Trump gives standing ovation to Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt, Peter Mitchell, smh.com.au, 5/5/17)
And what did they eat? I hear you cry:
"Guests dined on an entree... of asparagus, quail eggs, frico, mango treviso and basil and truffle vinaigrette. For the main course, it was dry-rubbed New York strip steak with watercress, tokyo turnips, garlic scape barley and pinot noir sauce. Desert, discarded by most guests as they mingled, was an option of Nutella Ring Ding with stracciatella gelato or vanilla roasted strawberries with moscato cream, rubber confit and lemon poppy buscuit and radish blossoms." (Stars & stripes: Celebrities flock to Trump-Turnbull dinner aboard battleship, Sharri Markson, Daily Telegraph, 6/5/17)
Friday, May 5, 2017
Brownlee Blinked First
Remember Netanyahu recalling Israel's ambassador to New Zealand following that country's vote in support of SC resolution 2334 (23/12/16), which declared Israeli settlements "a flagrant violation of international law"?
Well, that vote took place under the watch of National Party foreign minister Murray McCully, who has decided he's not standing for re-election this year. (Could his decision, perhaps, have had something to do with resolution 2334?)
As of May 2, McCully's place as foreign minister has been taken by Gerry Brownlee, who, for reasons which elude me, seems to be in an awful hurry to mend fences with the obnoxious leader of the apartheid state:
"I sent [Netanyahu] a letter yesterday afternoon," he said, "expressing a desire to get the relationship back on track, to recognise that we have had an incident that has caused a problem and proposing that we have a process for getting full diplomatic representation back in place and reasserting that New Zealand has been a long-term friend of Israel." (New foreign affairs minister Gerry Brownlee knee-deep in restoring relations with Australia and Israel, stuff.co.nz, 3/5/17 )
Interestingly, according to Israel's Haaretz, Australia's PM Trumble had raised the matter of the Israel/NZ rift with Netanyahu, who then proceeded to improve on his demented accusation that, in voting for the resolution, NZ had actually declared war on Israel with an insistence that the country move first to repair the damage - in a word, grovel:
"Western diplomats told Haaretz that during Netanyahu's visit to Australia some months ago, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull advocated ending the breakdown in relations with New Zealand. Netanyahu clarified that New Zealand would have to take the first step and make a gesture towards Israel." (New Zealand's new foreign minister wants to end diplomatic crisis with Israel, Barak Ravid, 3/5/17)
Haaretz continued:
"Mere hours after Brownlee was sworn in, he made his first official decision and sent the letter to Netanyahu. 'I've sent a letter to Mr Netanyahu... firstly congratulating them on their national day but expressing a desire for the Israeli-New Zealand relationship to get back on track and to do that by recognizing that we've got synergies and innovation and agriculture and various other things like that,' Brownlee told the New Zealand Herald. He added that he believes the letter will enable the foreign ministries of Israel and New Zealand to start talks ahead of resuming diplomatic relations, saying he would like the crisis to end by October, when Israel will be marking the 100th anniversary of the battle for Be'er Sheva [sic] during World War I - a battle in which Australian and New Zealand soldiers met their deaths."
Which makes one wonder: surely Brownlee was not so desperate to participate in Israel's appropriation of Anzac history to serve its own ends that he decided to blink first?
Well, that vote took place under the watch of National Party foreign minister Murray McCully, who has decided he's not standing for re-election this year. (Could his decision, perhaps, have had something to do with resolution 2334?)
As of May 2, McCully's place as foreign minister has been taken by Gerry Brownlee, who, for reasons which elude me, seems to be in an awful hurry to mend fences with the obnoxious leader of the apartheid state:
"I sent [Netanyahu] a letter yesterday afternoon," he said, "expressing a desire to get the relationship back on track, to recognise that we have had an incident that has caused a problem and proposing that we have a process for getting full diplomatic representation back in place and reasserting that New Zealand has been a long-term friend of Israel." (New foreign affairs minister Gerry Brownlee knee-deep in restoring relations with Australia and Israel, stuff.co.nz, 3/5/17 )
Interestingly, according to Israel's Haaretz, Australia's PM Trumble had raised the matter of the Israel/NZ rift with Netanyahu, who then proceeded to improve on his demented accusation that, in voting for the resolution, NZ had actually declared war on Israel with an insistence that the country move first to repair the damage - in a word, grovel:
"Western diplomats told Haaretz that during Netanyahu's visit to Australia some months ago, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull advocated ending the breakdown in relations with New Zealand. Netanyahu clarified that New Zealand would have to take the first step and make a gesture towards Israel." (New Zealand's new foreign minister wants to end diplomatic crisis with Israel, Barak Ravid, 3/5/17)
Haaretz continued:
"Mere hours after Brownlee was sworn in, he made his first official decision and sent the letter to Netanyahu. 'I've sent a letter to Mr Netanyahu... firstly congratulating them on their national day but expressing a desire for the Israeli-New Zealand relationship to get back on track and to do that by recognizing that we've got synergies and innovation and agriculture and various other things like that,' Brownlee told the New Zealand Herald. He added that he believes the letter will enable the foreign ministries of Israel and New Zealand to start talks ahead of resuming diplomatic relations, saying he would like the crisis to end by October, when Israel will be marking the 100th anniversary of the battle for Be'er Sheva [sic] during World War I - a battle in which Australian and New Zealand soldiers met their deaths."
Which makes one wonder: surely Brownlee was not so desperate to participate in Israel's appropriation of Anzac history to serve its own ends that he decided to blink first?
Friday, April 21, 2017
On the Record:
"Asked if he trusted Trump and Pence's judgment, Turnbull replied: 'I do. I trust the judgment, the wisdom of the American government, the president and the vice president'." (Malcolm Turnbull: I trust the 'wisdom and judgment' of Trump & Pence, Paul Karp, theguardian.com, 20/4/17)
Sunday, February 26, 2017
'A Sea of Billionaires & Millionaires'
And "two prime ministers in heated agreement."
"A sea of billionaires & millionaires"
And "two prime ministers in heated agreement."
"A sea of billionaires & millionaires"
And "two prime ministers in heated agreement."
"In front of six billionaires and 450 of Australia's business and political elite, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday heralded a new era of closeness between Israel and Australia... Six billionaires - Gina Rinehart, Harry Triguboff, Solomon Lew, John Gandel, Jeanne Pratt and her daughter Fiona Geminder - watched the leadersplight their troth commit to closer relations between the two countries.
"But somewhere among the sea of billionaires and millionaires there was an elephant in the room. The concept of a two-state solution was barely mentioned - Mr Netanyahu did not refer to it at all, while Mr Turnbull made only a passing reference to it... At the top table Mr Netanyahu was flanked on one side by Mr Turnbull and on the other by former PM John Howard. Mr Turnbull showed some cross-party magnanimity to usher Labor's justice spokesman Mark Dreyfus to meet Mr Netanyahu. Opposite Mr Netanyahu were Scott Morrison, businessman David Gonski, Ms Geminder and Mark Leibler, the national chairman of the Australia-Israel & Jewish Affairs Council [AIJAC], who was the event's master of ceremonies... 'This is not happening in the US or Europe, [he said], where leaders hop in and out - it's happening in Australia.'
"Bill Shorten was present, seated between [AIJAC's] Colin Rubenstein and Mr Lew. The head of the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation [ASIS], Nick Warner, was also a guest... Others present included businessmen Albert Dadon, David Gonski and Barry Smorgon, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Sam Lipski... the chief executive of the Pratt Foundation. Key leaders of the Jewish community were present, including Peter Wertheim from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry [ECAJ] and Danny Lamm from the Zionist Federation of Australia [ZFA]... The two prime ministers wereon heat in heated agreement." (Colour me Aussie, leader tells the faithful, John Lyons, The Australian, 23/2/17)
"This is not happening in the US or Europe... it's happening in Australia."
"This is not happening in the US or Europe... it's happening in Australia."
"This is not happening in the US or Europe... it's happening in Australia."
"A sea of billionaires & millionaires"
And "two prime ministers in heated agreement."
"A sea of billionaires & millionaires"
And "two prime ministers in heated agreement."
"In front of six billionaires and 450 of Australia's business and political elite, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday heralded a new era of closeness between Israel and Australia... Six billionaires - Gina Rinehart, Harry Triguboff, Solomon Lew, John Gandel, Jeanne Pratt and her daughter Fiona Geminder - watched the leaders
"But somewhere among the sea of billionaires and millionaires there was an elephant in the room. The concept of a two-state solution was barely mentioned - Mr Netanyahu did not refer to it at all, while Mr Turnbull made only a passing reference to it... At the top table Mr Netanyahu was flanked on one side by Mr Turnbull and on the other by former PM John Howard. Mr Turnbull showed some cross-party magnanimity to usher Labor's justice spokesman Mark Dreyfus to meet Mr Netanyahu. Opposite Mr Netanyahu were Scott Morrison, businessman David Gonski, Ms Geminder and Mark Leibler, the national chairman of the Australia-Israel & Jewish Affairs Council [AIJAC], who was the event's master of ceremonies... 'This is not happening in the US or Europe, [he said], where leaders hop in and out - it's happening in Australia.'
"Bill Shorten was present, seated between [AIJAC's] Colin Rubenstein and Mr Lew. The head of the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation [ASIS], Nick Warner, was also a guest... Others present included businessmen Albert Dadon, David Gonski and Barry Smorgon, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Sam Lipski... the chief executive of the Pratt Foundation. Key leaders of the Jewish community were present, including Peter Wertheim from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry [ECAJ] and Danny Lamm from the Zionist Federation of Australia [ZFA]... The two prime ministers were
"This is not happening in the US or Europe... it's happening in Australia."
"This is not happening in the US or Europe... it's happening in Australia."
"This is not happening in the US or Europe... it's happening in Australia."
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Who is Writing Trumble's Pro-Israel Propaganda?
I mean, Jeeesus:
"Whether it was the elaborate water system of Herod's fortress on Masada or the desalination plant at Ashkelon, whether it was the ancient streets of old Jerusalem or the boardrooms of Tel Aviv... throughout its history the greatest natural resource of Israel has been the brilliance and the enterprise of its people,' the Prime Minister said at a lunch in Sydney in honour of Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu." (PM lauds Israel as 'original start-up nation', Stephen Fitzpatrick, The Australian, 23/2/17)
And how can he deliver it with a straight face?
"Whether it was the elaborate water system of Herod's fortress on Masada or the desalination plant at Ashkelon, whether it was the ancient streets of old Jerusalem or the boardrooms of Tel Aviv... throughout its history the greatest natural resource of Israel has been the brilliance and the enterprise of its people,' the Prime Minister said at a lunch in Sydney in honour of Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu." (PM lauds Israel as 'original start-up nation', Stephen Fitzpatrick, The Australian, 23/2/17)
And how can he deliver it with a straight face?
More Than Friends...
You & I are more than friends. We're like a really small gang.
"Seeking to smooth over relations ahead of his meeting with Mr Netanyahu tomorrow, Mr Shorten told The Australian the Israeli leader could be confident that the longstanding friendship between Labor and the Jewish state remained strong. 'Israelis and Palestinians can be sure that they have a great friend in the Labor Party,' Mr Shorten said. 'Good friends are honest with each other, we always have been. I've met with the Prime Minister before and we get on well. We have a direct relationship. I'm looking forward to seeing him again'." (Israeli PM blasts Labor elders, Simon Benson/ Sarah Martin, The Australian, 23/2/17)
"More moderate Arab nations will begin to see Israel as a friend and ally against extremist 'barbarians', visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared. Mr Netanyahu said last night that recent visits to Muslim-majority nations Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, where Jews were free to practice their religion openly, had given him hope Israel would be seen as a 'beacon of light amidst the darkness'. 'Many Arab countries (will) realise Israel is not their enemy but their valuable ally in fighting off the barbarism that surrounds all of us,' Mr Netanyahu told about 2000 mostly Jewish attendees at Sydney's Central Synagogue last night. During the recent trips to the two former Soviet republics, Mr Netanyahu saw Jews singing 'Jew songs in Arab countries'." (Israel a friend for all in the battle against barbarism: Bibi, Anthony Klan/ Simon King, The Australian, 23/2/17)
"We would never support a resolution so one-sided, attributing fault only to the state of Israel,' Mr Turnbull said. 'We are a committed and consistent friend. We have been so since the beginning and we will always be." (ibid)
"The lunch cemented a close bond between Australia and Israel. 'When I colour the map', Mr Netanyahu told those attending, 'I colour Australia the same colour as I colour the United States'." (ibid)
"Seeking to smooth over relations ahead of his meeting with Mr Netanyahu tomorrow, Mr Shorten told The Australian the Israeli leader could be confident that the longstanding friendship between Labor and the Jewish state remained strong. 'Israelis and Palestinians can be sure that they have a great friend in the Labor Party,' Mr Shorten said. 'Good friends are honest with each other, we always have been. I've met with the Prime Minister before and we get on well. We have a direct relationship. I'm looking forward to seeing him again'." (Israeli PM blasts Labor elders, Simon Benson/ Sarah Martin, The Australian, 23/2/17)
"More moderate Arab nations will begin to see Israel as a friend and ally against extremist 'barbarians', visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared. Mr Netanyahu said last night that recent visits to Muslim-majority nations Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, where Jews were free to practice their religion openly, had given him hope Israel would be seen as a 'beacon of light amidst the darkness'. 'Many Arab countries (will) realise Israel is not their enemy but their valuable ally in fighting off the barbarism that surrounds all of us,' Mr Netanyahu told about 2000 mostly Jewish attendees at Sydney's Central Synagogue last night. During the recent trips to the two former Soviet republics, Mr Netanyahu saw Jews singing 'Jew songs in Arab countries'." (Israel a friend for all in the battle against barbarism: Bibi, Anthony Klan/ Simon King, The Australian, 23/2/17)
"We would never support a resolution so one-sided, attributing fault only to the state of Israel,' Mr Turnbull said. 'We are a committed and consistent friend. We have been so since the beginning and we will always be." (ibid)
"The lunch cemented a close bond between Australia and Israel. 'When I colour the map', Mr Netanyahu told those attending, 'I colour Australia the same colour as I colour the United States'." (ibid)
Friday, February 24, 2017
Deconstructing Trumble's Cut & Paste
A critical look at PM Trumble's pro-Israel propaganda piece in The Australian of 22 February, specifically the first 3 paragraphs, yields much of interest for those of us who still harbour a preference for facts over myths and a respect for the historical record.
Trumble kicks off with this sentence:
"Our friendship is as old as the state of Israel itself."
Now compare that with the opening sentence from the second section of former Labor foreign minister Stephen Smith's Australia & Israel speech, delivered on 19 May, 2009:
"Australia's support for the State of Israel goes right back to its creation."
Now consider the next two sentences in Smith's speech:
"Foreign Minister H.V. Evatt, one of my predecessors, played an important role through his Chairmanship of the United Nations International [sic: Special] Commission on Palestine in 1947. Evatt understood the justice of Israel's right to full international citizenship at a time when many still did not."
As a Liberal, of course, Trumble had no use for those two sentences about a former Labor foreign minister (1945-49), whatever services he may have rendered to the Zionist movement in the late 40s. So the Evatt references ended up on the cutting-room floor.
Trumble's next sentence reads:
"Australia was the first country to vote in favour of the 1947 UN partition resolution adopted by the General Assembly, which led to the establishment of Israel in 1948."
Now compare that with Smith's next sentence. As you'll see, both sentences are based on the curious idea that Australia, like some over-the-top, competitive schoolkid with his hand up, screaming Sir! Sir! Sir! to a teacher's question, just couldn't wait to give the Zios a leg up in Palestine:
"When a vote was called that year on General Assembly Resolution 181 to establish separate Jewish and Arab states, the Australian delegate was the first to vote. And the first to vote in favour of the proposal."
(Actually, in Trumble's version, the implication seems to be that the Australian delegate somehow, preternaturally knew he was voting for 'Israel', which was still 6 months away from being declared!)
Smith then proceeds to tell us that Evatt "presided over the historic May 1949 vote admitting Israel as the 59th member of the United Nations."
Again, Evatt has been trimmed from Trumble's piece,
Smith continues:
"Following that vote, Israel's distinguished representative Abba Eban acknowledged the contribution that Evatt and the Australian Government had made to the international recognition of Israel, when he said: 'The manner in which you steered to a vote this second historic Resolution... the warmth and eloquence with which you welcomed Israel into the family of nations, have earned for you the undying gratitude of our people'."
Now here's Trumble's near duplicate version:
"Following the vote, Israeli representative Abba Eban acknowledged Australia's contribution. 'The manner in which you steered to a vote this second historic resolution... the warmth and eloquence with which you welcome Israel into the family of nations, have earned for you the undying gratitude of our people'."
Notice that, in Trumble's version, Eban is portrayed as as praising Australia for "steering to a vote" the 1947 partition resolution (181) of November 1947 (as chair of the UN's Ad hoc Committee on Palestine - and after succumbing to the blandishments of Australian Zionists - he favoured partitioning Palestine over seeking an ICJ advisory opinion), whereas, in fact, he was praising Australia's vote with respect to the May 1949 admission of Israel to UN membership (conditional, BTW, on Israel's implementation of UNGA resolution 194, allowing the return of Palestinian refugees displaced by the Zionist ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948). The reference to "second historic resolution" (the first referring to the 'partition' resolution) confirms this.
IOW, what we have here is nothing more or less than a cheap cut and paste of an earlier Labor speech, itself probably cribbed from some Zionist propaganda document. Obviously the work of one of Turnbull's minders, it's a perfect example of what is known as 'received wisdom', never examined factoids, endlessly recycled as fact by the mainstream media and junk 'scholarship'.
But it's particularly on this one-sentence third paragraph that I wish to dwell. Because nothing could be further from the truth:
"The key role Australia played in ensuring the security and prosperity of the Jewish people should be a source of pride for us all."
One implication here is that Australia (and, presumably, the other countries which voted for partition in November 1947) was thinking primarily about the fate of Holocaust survivors, many of whom were living at the time in Displaced Persons Camps in Europe. And contrariwise, that those countries which voted against the partition of Palestine were one and all Jew haters.
Now consider the following excerpt from the anti-partition speech of Pakistan's representative, Sir Zafrullah Khan, and note, in particular, his sarcastic reference to Australia:
"What has Palestine done? What is its contribution toward the solution of the humanitarian question as it affects Jewish refugees and displaced persons? Since the end of the First World War, Palestine has taken over 400,000 Jewish immigrants. Since the start of the Jewish persecution in Nazi Germany, Palestine has taken almost 300,000 Jewish refugees. This does not include illegal immigrants who could not be counted.
"One has observed that those who talk of humanitarian principles, and can afford to do most, have done the least at their own expense to alleviate this problem. But they are ready - indeed, they are anxious - to be most generous at the expense of the Arab.
"There have been few periods in history when members of the Jewish race have not been persecuted in one part or another of Europe. When English kings and barons indulged in the pastime of extracting the teeth of Jewish merchants and bankers as a gentle means of persuading them to cooperate in bolstering their feudal economy... Arab Spain provided a shelter, a refuge and a haven for the Jews.
"Today it is said: only the poor persecuted European Jew is without a home. True. And it is further said: why, then, let Arab Palestine provide him, as Arab Spain did, not only with a shelter, a refuge, but also with a State so that he shall rule over the Arab. How generous! How humanitarian!
"The United Nation Special Committee on Palestine, as we know, in recommendation VII, one of the unanimous recommendations, urged that the General Assembly take up this question of refugees and displaced persons immediately, apart from the problem of Palestine, in order to afford relief to the persecuted Jew so that there should be an alleviation of this humanitarian problem and an alleviation of the Palestinian problem.
"What has this great and august body done in that respect? Sub-committee 2 made a recommendation and drew up a draft resolution on that basis (resolution II, document A/AC.14/32). First, let those Jewish refugees and displaced persons who can be repatriated to their own countries be repatriated; secondly, those who cannot be repatriated should be allotted to Member States in accordance with their capacity to receive such refugees; and, thirdly, a committee should be set up to determine quotas for that purpose.
"The resolution is put forward for consideration. Shall they be repatriated to their own countries? Australia says no; Canada says no; the United States says no. This was very encouraging from one point of view. Let these people, after their terrible experiences, even if they are willing to go back, not be asked to go back to their own countries. In this way, one would be more sure that the second proposal would be adopted and that we should all give shelter to these people. Shall they be distributed among the Member States according to the capacity of the latter to receive them? Australia, an overpopulated small country with congested areas, says no, no, no; Canada, equally congested and overpopulated, says no; the United States, a great humanitarian country, a small area, with small resources, says no. That is their contribution to the humanitarian principle. But they state: let them go into Palestine, where there are vast areas, a large economy and no trouble; they can easily be taken in there.
"That is the contribution taken by this august body to the settlement of the humanitarian principle involved." (Sir Zafrullah Khan's speech on the question of Palestine, themuslimtimes.info)
So let us revisit PM Trumble's final paragraph:
"The key role Australia played in ensuring the security and prosperity of the Jewish people should be a source of pride for us all."
If PM Trumble is referring here to Jewish Holocaust survivors in DP camps, most of whom would have gone to the US if given half a chance*, then he's messing with history.
If, on the other hand, he means "the Jewish people" (as in the Balfour Declaration's "a national home for the Jewish people"), that stock standard Zionist ideological construct which supposedly provides the rationale for the Jewish state of Israel, he needs to explain quite why Australians should take "pride" in "ensuring the security and prosperity" of a sectarian, apartheid state founded on the mass dispossession and expulsion of Palestine's indigenous Arab population.
[*See my 4/8/10 post Humanity or Zionism. Just click on the label for Yosef Grodzinsky below.]
Trumble kicks off with this sentence:
"Our friendship is as old as the state of Israel itself."
Now compare that with the opening sentence from the second section of former Labor foreign minister Stephen Smith's Australia & Israel speech, delivered on 19 May, 2009:
"Australia's support for the State of Israel goes right back to its creation."
Now consider the next two sentences in Smith's speech:
"Foreign Minister H.V. Evatt, one of my predecessors, played an important role through his Chairmanship of the United Nations International [sic: Special] Commission on Palestine in 1947. Evatt understood the justice of Israel's right to full international citizenship at a time when many still did not."
As a Liberal, of course, Trumble had no use for those two sentences about a former Labor foreign minister (1945-49), whatever services he may have rendered to the Zionist movement in the late 40s. So the Evatt references ended up on the cutting-room floor.
Trumble's next sentence reads:
"Australia was the first country to vote in favour of the 1947 UN partition resolution adopted by the General Assembly, which led to the establishment of Israel in 1948."
Now compare that with Smith's next sentence. As you'll see, both sentences are based on the curious idea that Australia, like some over-the-top, competitive schoolkid with his hand up, screaming Sir! Sir! Sir! to a teacher's question, just couldn't wait to give the Zios a leg up in Palestine:
"When a vote was called that year on General Assembly Resolution 181 to establish separate Jewish and Arab states, the Australian delegate was the first to vote. And the first to vote in favour of the proposal."
(Actually, in Trumble's version, the implication seems to be that the Australian delegate somehow, preternaturally knew he was voting for 'Israel', which was still 6 months away from being declared!)
Smith then proceeds to tell us that Evatt "presided over the historic May 1949 vote admitting Israel as the 59th member of the United Nations."
Again, Evatt has been trimmed from Trumble's piece,
Smith continues:
"Following that vote, Israel's distinguished representative Abba Eban acknowledged the contribution that Evatt and the Australian Government had made to the international recognition of Israel, when he said: 'The manner in which you steered to a vote this second historic Resolution... the warmth and eloquence with which you welcomed Israel into the family of nations, have earned for you the undying gratitude of our people'."
Now here's Trumble's near duplicate version:
"Following the vote, Israeli representative Abba Eban acknowledged Australia's contribution. 'The manner in which you steered to a vote this second historic resolution... the warmth and eloquence with which you welcome Israel into the family of nations, have earned for you the undying gratitude of our people'."
Notice that, in Trumble's version, Eban is portrayed as as praising Australia for "steering to a vote" the 1947 partition resolution (181) of November 1947 (as chair of the UN's Ad hoc Committee on Palestine - and after succumbing to the blandishments of Australian Zionists - he favoured partitioning Palestine over seeking an ICJ advisory opinion), whereas, in fact, he was praising Australia's vote with respect to the May 1949 admission of Israel to UN membership (conditional, BTW, on Israel's implementation of UNGA resolution 194, allowing the return of Palestinian refugees displaced by the Zionist ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948). The reference to "second historic resolution" (the first referring to the 'partition' resolution) confirms this.
IOW, what we have here is nothing more or less than a cheap cut and paste of an earlier Labor speech, itself probably cribbed from some Zionist propaganda document. Obviously the work of one of Turnbull's minders, it's a perfect example of what is known as 'received wisdom', never examined factoids, endlessly recycled as fact by the mainstream media and junk 'scholarship'.
But it's particularly on this one-sentence third paragraph that I wish to dwell. Because nothing could be further from the truth:
"The key role Australia played in ensuring the security and prosperity of the Jewish people should be a source of pride for us all."
One implication here is that Australia (and, presumably, the other countries which voted for partition in November 1947) was thinking primarily about the fate of Holocaust survivors, many of whom were living at the time in Displaced Persons Camps in Europe. And contrariwise, that those countries which voted against the partition of Palestine were one and all Jew haters.
Now consider the following excerpt from the anti-partition speech of Pakistan's representative, Sir Zafrullah Khan, and note, in particular, his sarcastic reference to Australia:
"What has Palestine done? What is its contribution toward the solution of the humanitarian question as it affects Jewish refugees and displaced persons? Since the end of the First World War, Palestine has taken over 400,000 Jewish immigrants. Since the start of the Jewish persecution in Nazi Germany, Palestine has taken almost 300,000 Jewish refugees. This does not include illegal immigrants who could not be counted.
"One has observed that those who talk of humanitarian principles, and can afford to do most, have done the least at their own expense to alleviate this problem. But they are ready - indeed, they are anxious - to be most generous at the expense of the Arab.
"There have been few periods in history when members of the Jewish race have not been persecuted in one part or another of Europe. When English kings and barons indulged in the pastime of extracting the teeth of Jewish merchants and bankers as a gentle means of persuading them to cooperate in bolstering their feudal economy... Arab Spain provided a shelter, a refuge and a haven for the Jews.
"Today it is said: only the poor persecuted European Jew is without a home. True. And it is further said: why, then, let Arab Palestine provide him, as Arab Spain did, not only with a shelter, a refuge, but also with a State so that he shall rule over the Arab. How generous! How humanitarian!
"The United Nation Special Committee on Palestine, as we know, in recommendation VII, one of the unanimous recommendations, urged that the General Assembly take up this question of refugees and displaced persons immediately, apart from the problem of Palestine, in order to afford relief to the persecuted Jew so that there should be an alleviation of this humanitarian problem and an alleviation of the Palestinian problem.
"What has this great and august body done in that respect? Sub-committee 2 made a recommendation and drew up a draft resolution on that basis (resolution II, document A/AC.14/32). First, let those Jewish refugees and displaced persons who can be repatriated to their own countries be repatriated; secondly, those who cannot be repatriated should be allotted to Member States in accordance with their capacity to receive such refugees; and, thirdly, a committee should be set up to determine quotas for that purpose.
"The resolution is put forward for consideration. Shall they be repatriated to their own countries? Australia says no; Canada says no; the United States says no. This was very encouraging from one point of view. Let these people, after their terrible experiences, even if they are willing to go back, not be asked to go back to their own countries. In this way, one would be more sure that the second proposal would be adopted and that we should all give shelter to these people. Shall they be distributed among the Member States according to the capacity of the latter to receive them? Australia, an overpopulated small country with congested areas, says no, no, no; Canada, equally congested and overpopulated, says no; the United States, a great humanitarian country, a small area, with small resources, says no. That is their contribution to the humanitarian principle. But they state: let them go into Palestine, where there are vast areas, a large economy and no trouble; they can easily be taken in there.
"That is the contribution taken by this august body to the settlement of the humanitarian principle involved." (Sir Zafrullah Khan's speech on the question of Palestine, themuslimtimes.info)
So let us revisit PM Trumble's final paragraph:
"The key role Australia played in ensuring the security and prosperity of the Jewish people should be a source of pride for us all."
If PM Trumble is referring here to Jewish Holocaust survivors in DP camps, most of whom would have gone to the US if given half a chance*, then he's messing with history.
If, on the other hand, he means "the Jewish people" (as in the Balfour Declaration's "a national home for the Jewish people"), that stock standard Zionist ideological construct which supposedly provides the rationale for the Jewish state of Israel, he needs to explain quite why Australians should take "pride" in "ensuring the security and prosperity" of a sectarian, apartheid state founded on the mass dispossession and expulsion of Palestine's indigenous Arab population.
[*See my 4/8/10 post Humanity or Zionism. Just click on the label for Yosef Grodzinsky below.]
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Lions
"'The circumstances of the times... do appear to create the opportunity where perhaps the moons are aligning such that this could be a good time... for the parties to come back to the table and reach an agreement,' [PM Turnbull] said. 'But, of course, as with any agreement, it takes two to tango'." (Benjamin Netanyahu attacks former Australian PMs' calls to recognise Palestine, Ben Doherty, theguardian.com, 22/2/17)
***
"Mr Shorten said he would press Mr Netanyahu on the vexed issue of Israeli settlements. 'I will make it clear to Mr Netanyahu that where settlement-building is an obstacle to a two-state solution, it should be stopped. Full stop,' the Opposition Leader said." (Netanyahu visit to see tightening of security ties, Paul Maley, The Australian, 21/2/17)
"In public though, discretion was the better part of valour. The opposition leader thought the parties ought to return to direct negotiations and refrain 'from actions that jeopardise this.' He meant aggressive settlement building of course. But best not to mention the s-word, not while polite people are having a bite of lunch. Bibi might not like it." (Get on with it, Bibi: Turnbull's message to Netanyahu on peace deal, Katharine Murphy, theguardian.com, 22/2/17)
***
"Mr Shorten said he would press Mr Netanyahu on the vexed issue of Israeli settlements. 'I will make it clear to Mr Netanyahu that where settlement-building is an obstacle to a two-state solution, it should be stopped. Full stop,' the Opposition Leader said." (Netanyahu visit to see tightening of security ties, Paul Maley, The Australian, 21/2/17)
"In public though, discretion was the better part of valour. The opposition leader thought the parties ought to return to direct negotiations and refrain 'from actions that jeopardise this.' He meant aggressive settlement building of course. But best not to mention the s-word, not while polite people are having a bite of lunch. Bibi might not like it." (Get on with it, Bibi: Turnbull's message to Netanyahu on peace deal, Katharine Murphy, theguardian.com, 22/2/17)
What Kind of Government is This?
1) It invites the head of an apartheid state for a visit.
2) Even before the war criminal arrives, its PM rolls out the welcome mat in the form of a fawning column in today's Australian (Israeli PM's visit cements a warm, old friendship), in which he gushes such guff as the following:
a) "Our friendship is as old as the state of Israel itself."
b) "As a majority Christian nation, we share the rich cultural inheritance of the Bible, its stories and values a foundation and a context for our history, our literature, our imagination."
c) "Israel is a miraculous nation."
d) "In a region racked by war [Israel] succeeds as the sole liberal democracy, a world leader in every field of science and technology, its culture of innovation the envy of the world."
e) "My government will not support one-sided resolutions criticising Israel of the kind recently adopted by the UN Security Council and we deplore the boycott campaigns designed to delegitimise the Jewish state."
f) "We believe that with so many other, more destructive and intractable disputes in the Middle East, this is a time when Israeli and Palestinian leaders... should return to the negotiating table and work towards a solution that upholds the rights of both peoples to live side by side in peace and security."
Now if wealthy Zionist donors had at least paid for all this grovelling by covering the Liberal Party's 2016 election expenses, I could maybe half understand 1) and 2), but face it, PM Trumble had to dig deep into his own pocket for $1.75 million to cover those costs.
Please explain... someone?... anyone?
2) Even before the war criminal arrives, its PM rolls out the welcome mat in the form of a fawning column in today's Australian (Israeli PM's visit cements a warm, old friendship), in which he gushes such guff as the following:
a) "Our friendship is as old as the state of Israel itself."
b) "As a majority Christian nation, we share the rich cultural inheritance of the Bible, its stories and values a foundation and a context for our history, our literature, our imagination."
c) "Israel is a miraculous nation."
d) "In a region racked by war [Israel] succeeds as the sole liberal democracy, a world leader in every field of science and technology, its culture of innovation the envy of the world."
e) "My government will not support one-sided resolutions criticising Israel of the kind recently adopted by the UN Security Council and we deplore the boycott campaigns designed to delegitimise the Jewish state."
f) "We believe that with so many other, more destructive and intractable disputes in the Middle East, this is a time when Israeli and Palestinian leaders... should return to the negotiating table and work towards a solution that upholds the rights of both peoples to live side by side in peace and security."
Now if wealthy Zionist donors had at least paid for all this grovelling by covering the Liberal Party's 2016 election expenses, I could maybe half understand 1) and 2), but face it, PM Trumble had to dig deep into his own pocket for $1.75 million to cover those costs.
Please explain... someone?... anyone?
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Understanding Australia's Bipartisan Support for Israel
Isn't it beyond amazing that, despite their political differences, there is only one nation (apart from the lucky ducky country, of course) that has the power to move both PM Trumble and Opposition leader Bill Short-on to near constant declarations of undying love and affection - namely, Israel.
This remarkable coincidence, of course, is no doubt due, in both cases, to years of research and rapt contemplation of respective moral compasses by both parties.
Or could there be an another explanation?
"Bill Shorten first became a household name in 2006, surfing a wave of favourable publicity when the news broke that two men had survived the dreadful Beaconsfield mine disaster. It was a brief burst of fame, still more than a year before Shorten resigned as head of the Australian Workers Union to enter parliament and have a shot at realising his dream of becoming prime minister one day...
"Dick Pratt, the super-wealthy cardboard industry king, was Shorten's enabler on that occasion. It was a Sunday night and all hope of finding survivors of the mine collapse was lost. Shorten was stranded at home in Melbourne when the stunning news came through - he'd just returned from the mine site and there were no domestic flights back to Tasmania until the next day. Shorten's first thought? Naturally, call Pratt and ask to borrow his private jet... In quick time, Shorten was back in Beaconsfield. With the mine's management falling silent, he happily filled the void for an information-starved national media... It was a mark of Shorten's closeness to one of Australia's richest men that just a phone call to Pratt could secure his private jet free of charge.
"But that was far from the first, or last, time that Shorten would fly Air Pratt. He and his then wife, Deborah Beale, flew to the US on board Pratt's jet for family holidays at the packaging magnate's New York apartment... Privately, Shorten has always been keen to say the Pratt connection was because of Beale... Those close to Shorten say he conveyed the impression, indeed encouraged the idea, that Pratt was Beale's godfather... The marriage to Beale, say Shorten insiders, offered much more to a man who relished mixing with the rich and powerful... Beale helped open doors... to the Melbourne establishment [and] assisted with introductions for Shorten to captain's of industry.
"[Shorten] also got to know retail giant Solomon Lew. The Lew relationship was based in large part on their shared pro-Israel stance. As leader of the right-wing AWU in Victoria, Shorten devoted much time to battling the Left over Israel. He mixed easily with Lew and other Australian Jewish businessmen. It was good politics, too, for Shorten, to win the support of Melbourne's Jewish business community." (High-flying fake or workers' champion? Brad Norington, The Australian, 11/2/17)
"No domestic house in Melbourne has had more influence on public and philanthropical life than Raheen, the 1870s Italianate mansion owned for more than 35 years by the family of billionaire packaging king Richard Pratt... Raheen is used by the Pratts to court and entertain both sides of politics, to conduct fundraisers and to highlight the cause of Israel, into which the Pratt Foundation pours millions of dollars... Last week Mr Turnbull and his wife Lucy were invited to a party at Richard Pratt's son Anthony's Fifth Avenue apartment above New York's Central Park... " (More than just a home, Pratt mansion welcomes all parties, John Ferguson/ Rebecca Urban, The Australian, 11/2/17)
This remarkable coincidence, of course, is no doubt due, in both cases, to years of research and rapt contemplation of respective moral compasses by both parties.
Or could there be an another explanation?
"Bill Shorten first became a household name in 2006, surfing a wave of favourable publicity when the news broke that two men had survived the dreadful Beaconsfield mine disaster. It was a brief burst of fame, still more than a year before Shorten resigned as head of the Australian Workers Union to enter parliament and have a shot at realising his dream of becoming prime minister one day...
"Dick Pratt, the super-wealthy cardboard industry king, was Shorten's enabler on that occasion. It was a Sunday night and all hope of finding survivors of the mine collapse was lost. Shorten was stranded at home in Melbourne when the stunning news came through - he'd just returned from the mine site and there were no domestic flights back to Tasmania until the next day. Shorten's first thought? Naturally, call Pratt and ask to borrow his private jet... In quick time, Shorten was back in Beaconsfield. With the mine's management falling silent, he happily filled the void for an information-starved national media... It was a mark of Shorten's closeness to one of Australia's richest men that just a phone call to Pratt could secure his private jet free of charge.
"But that was far from the first, or last, time that Shorten would fly Air Pratt. He and his then wife, Deborah Beale, flew to the US on board Pratt's jet for family holidays at the packaging magnate's New York apartment... Privately, Shorten has always been keen to say the Pratt connection was because of Beale... Those close to Shorten say he conveyed the impression, indeed encouraged the idea, that Pratt was Beale's godfather... The marriage to Beale, say Shorten insiders, offered much more to a man who relished mixing with the rich and powerful... Beale helped open doors... to the Melbourne establishment [and] assisted with introductions for Shorten to captain's of industry.
"[Shorten] also got to know retail giant Solomon Lew. The Lew relationship was based in large part on their shared pro-Israel stance. As leader of the right-wing AWU in Victoria, Shorten devoted much time to battling the Left over Israel. He mixed easily with Lew and other Australian Jewish businessmen. It was good politics, too, for Shorten, to win the support of Melbourne's Jewish business community." (High-flying fake or workers' champion? Brad Norington, The Australian, 11/2/17)
"No domestic house in Melbourne has had more influence on public and philanthropical life than Raheen, the 1870s Italianate mansion owned for more than 35 years by the family of billionaire packaging king Richard Pratt... Raheen is used by the Pratts to court and entertain both sides of politics, to conduct fundraisers and to highlight the cause of Israel, into which the Pratt Foundation pours millions of dollars... Last week Mr Turnbull and his wife Lucy were invited to a party at Richard Pratt's son Anthony's Fifth Avenue apartment above New York's Central Park... " (More than just a home, Pratt mansion welcomes all parties, John Ferguson/ Rebecca Urban, The Australian, 11/2/17)
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