Magic Mike Does Upstart Nation 3

"The first premier of Sydney's host state* to visit Israel. He saw for himself the security wall built by the Israelis to counter the attacks of terrorism including suicide bombers against Israel." (Mike Baird visits Palestinian refugee camp, jwire.com.au)

Ah, but what was Magic Mike really thinking of while he "seeing for himself" Israel's illegal apartheid "security wall"?

Of Elbit Systems, perhaps?:

"Analysis of a key set of Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade financial records... show that over the past 10 years the Australian government has spent more than $1.5 billion on contracts with Israeli arms companies, primarily the company Elbit Systems. Elbit supplies surveillance equipment for the highly controversial wall Israel has built throughout the occupied Palestinian West Bank, a wall that is integral to Israel's occupation and settlement activities. The wall, like the occupation, is illegal under international law. Last month, it was revealed that Mary Easson, one of 5 members of the NSW branch of the pro-Israel lobby group the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue, is also a lobbyist for the Australian subsidiary of Elbit Systems. The AILD was highly active in lobbying ALP members to reject motions at the NSW Labor conference critical of Israel or its supporters, including those calling for a boycott of the settlements." (Australia guilty of double standards in supporting Israeli settlements, Paul Dufill, Sydney Morning Herald, 7/4/16)

At any rate:

"NSW Premier Mike Baird has signed an agreement in Israel securing an Israeli-built flight simulator for the Royal Flying Doctor base in Dubbo. The flight simulator  is part of a new $18 million facility, which will also allow the RFDS SE to accommodate an integrated aeromedical simulation and training facility, as well as a Flying Doctor tourism and visiting centre. The Premier announced the joint initiative between the RFDS SE and Elbit Systems, an Israeli technology company, during the Premier's trade mission to Israel at a signing at Elbit's facility in Netanya... The NSW Government funding, alongside funding from RFDS SE, Dubbo City Council, the Dubbo Support Group and Elbit Australia, will bring a multipurpose aeromedical, aviation and tourism facility to the Dubbo Base." (Israeli simulator for Flying Doctor Service in Dubbo, 8/4/16, jwire.com.au)

$18m, eh?

Jwire is unfortunately mum on the funding breakup. Happily, this has been supplied by the Sydney Morning Herald as follows:

"Following three years of negotiations, the RFDS has received $18 million in new funding, including about $12 million from the Australian subsidiary of Israel's Elbit Systems... In addition to Elbit's funding, RFDS also received $2.5 million from the state government and $1.1 million from  its Dubbo Support Group... The flight-training simulator will be installed and operated by Elbit Systems of Australia... " (Royal Flying Doctor Service gets an $18 million boost, Julie Power, 8/4/16)

So let's get this straight:

The RFDS has received $18 million, the bulk of which - $12m - comes from the Australian subsidiary of Israel's death-dealing Elbit Systems, Elbit Systems of Australia, to buy an Elbit Systems flight simulator, which will be installed and operated by Elbit Systems of Australia.

This hardly sounds like your average business transaction. The question arises: is it really anything more than an Israeli PR stunt, with $2.5m NSW taxpayer dollars kicked in by Magic Mike?

And where does Labor's Mary Easson, a self-confessed spruiker for Elbit Systems of Australia, fit in, given that the 'purchase' is the culmination of 3 years of negotiations? (See my 18/3/16 posts Spotlight on the 'Australia Israel Labor Dialogue' 1 & 2)

[* What a bizarre way of saying 'NSW'.]

Spotlight on the 'Australia Israel Labor Dialogue' 2

More from The Australian's John Lyons on the Elbit Systems-linked Australia Israel Labor Dialogue - Carr wants friends of Israel to open books (17/3/16):

"Pressure is growing for a Labor friends-of-Israel group to open its accounts to show who has been funding trips to Israel for trade unionists and members of the Labor Party. Former NSW premier and foreign minister Bob Carr said yesterday the current situation amounted to 'a shameful look' for Labor's support base. He warned the issue could damage the ALP with its 'hundreds of thousands of voters with Arabic backgrounds'.

"The Australian reported yesterday that a key figure in the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue - Mary Easson - is a lobbyist for the Australian subsidiary of Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit. Elbit is one of Israel's largest manufacturers of bombs, mortars, cyber-warfare systems and drones and was a key supplier of the army during the 2014 war against Gaza. On its website, it says one of its newest products has 'unprecedented lethality.' Ms Easson denies Elbit has ever made a donation to AILD. But Mr Carr said any connection to Elbit was 'a shameful look - arms dealers, civilian deaths, the electronic fence. It would be common sense for party leaders to say the Dialogue must present an independently audited account of its fundraising. The party's credibility with literally hundreds of thousands of voters with Arabic backgrounds is at stake,' he said.

"Ms Easson says Elbit Systems of Australia managing director Dan Webster has assured her no donation had been made from Elbit to the AILD. Mr Carr's call was supported by NSW ALP assistant secretary Rose Jackson, who took one of the AILD's trips. 'All funding and connection should absolutely be publicly declared,' she said. However, many of those who have taken trips clearly do not want to talk about them. The candidate for the federal seat of Perth, lawyer Ted Hammond, has refused to answer questions about his trip. NSW AILD branch patron, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie said Mr Carr's comments were internal ALP warfare. 'I am not interested in a petty side argument between the warring factions in the ALP over Israel and Palestine,' he said. Mr Beattie said there had been no donations since he became patron last year, 'so there was nothing to audit'.

"The growing division within the party over the issue was further evident yesterday when Labor Friends of Palestine published a list of all union and party officials known to have taken trips. The group said Elbit's profits increased 6.1% in July 2014, during the Gaza war, and that Human Rights Watch had confirmed that Elbit's drones had been used on Palestinian civilians. It said the Norwegian State Pension Fund, Denmark's Danske bank, Sweden's largest pension funds, Germany's Deutsche Bank and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund had divested themselves from Elbit for ethical reasons. A growing number of senior ALP figures - including Mr Carr, Tony Burke, Jason Clare, Chris Bowen and Anthony Albanese - have all made clear that if Israel continues to expand the population of its settlements on the West Bank and there is no progress to a two-state solution, the next Labor government will recognise Palestine."

Spotlight on the 'Australia Israel Labor Dialogue' 1

Before you read the following expose by The Australian's John Lyons - Labor Friend of Israel a lobbyist for weapons firm (16/3/16) - keep in mind that Israel's arms manufacturing Elbit Systems 'won' a $349m contract with the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) to develop a command, control and communications system for the Australian army in 2010 (See my 17/3/10 post Passports: Finally, Some Action) and is linked to Israel's illegal (ICJ 2004 ruling) West Bank apartheid wall* (See my 26/10/11 post Sucked in at Sydney University):

"A key figure behind a Labor Party friends-of-Israel group is also a lobbyist for the Australian subsidiary of one of Israel's largest arms manufacturers. Mary Easson has also played an active role in the emotive debate within the Labor Party over its policy towards Israel. Ms Easson is one of five members of the NSW branch of the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue. At the same time, she is a lobbyist for Elbit, according to her latest listing on the federal registrar.

"The fact that Ms Easson's company, Probity International Pty Ltd, is lobbying for Elbit is almost certain to lead to anger within the ALP from those who have taken trips organised by the AILD. Ms Easson has been locked in a brutal fight inside the Labor Party with former minister Bob Carr over policy towards Israel. Ms Easson wants the ALP to retain its bipartisan support for Israel while Mr Carr wants a deadline for Israel to cease its expansion of settlements in the West Bank and to return to negotiations with the Palestinians.

"Elbit is one of Israel's largest manufacturers of bombs, mortars, cyber warfare systems and drones and much of its ordnance was used in the 2014 war with Gaza. On its website, Elbit says one of its products - the Soltam Spear - has 'unprecedented lethality.' The patron of the NSW branch of the AILD, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie, said he was unaware of Ms Easson's connection to Elbit. 'I am very comfortable saying if there is any contribution made in NSW and that is made available for trips to Israel, that information should be publicly available.' Since it was formed in 2010, the AILD has sent 33 union and Labor Party officials to Israel. Ms Easson told The Australian most of those had been sent by the Victorian branch and she did not know of any being sent by the NSW branch.

"NSW convener Greg Holland said he took a group of unionists in 2014, which included now NSW ALP secretary Kaila Murnain and the Labor candidate for the federal seat of Perth, Tim Hammond. Yesterday, Ms Murnain would not answer any questions related to her trip and Mr Hammond said he was conscious  these trips were 'highly sensitive' and would make no comment.

"When asked whether her role as a lobbyist for Elbit presented a conflict of interest when being part of a Labor Party group, Ms Easson at first said she worked for Elbit Australia, not the parent company. Later she said: 'I am employed by Intech Strategies and Intech Strategies is employed by Elbit Australia.' Ms Easson said she did not know who funded the trips for unionists. 'I'm not being coy, I really don't know the answer,' she said. 'How they get their funds I don't know - I guess I should have asked.'

"She said she joined the NSW branch of the AILD twelve months ago when it formed and it had not raised any funds or sent anybody on overseas trips. No one associated with the AILD contacted by The Australian was prepared or able to say who funded the trips. She said Elbit Systems of Australia managing directer Dan Webster had yesterday assured her no donation had been made from Elbit to the AILD. In October last year, three key NSW Labor officials went on an AILD trip - the secretary of the NSW branch of the Rail Tram and Bus Union, Alex Claasens, the secretary of the NSW Police Association, Peter Remfrey, and the Transport Workers Union's Polo Guilbert-Wright. Mr Claasens said he was approached by the Victorian branch and did not know of the Elbit connection when he went. 'The question for the people who run the organisation and the individual concerned is should it be put out there for people to see? Mr Claasens said.

"One of the key figures in the AILD, ACTU assistant secretary, Michael Borowick, would not give any specifics about who funded the AILD trips. 'Many individuals pay for their participation in the trips. AILD does respond favourably to individuals who make requests for a subsidy where it is available to do so,' he said. When asked who funded the AILD he said: 'AILD employs a variety of funding methods to support its activities.'

"Ms Easson has written in support of the current ALP policy - she was not a delegate but wrote a live blog from the NSW Labor conference in February. When the conference rejected motions she opposed, she wrote that 'the moment the fanatical anti-Israel forces were stopped and stood up to by sensible people in NSW Labor.' Several motions called for the banning of products made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and mandating that all Labor MPs who visited Israel on paid trips should spend equal time on the Palestinian side. The conference accepted a motion that 'encouraged' party members to spend 'substantial time in both Israel and Palestine.'

"Mr Holland did not think the AILD should have to reveal who funded trips. Asked if unionists who had been on these trips should have been told of Ms Easson's connection to Elbit, he said: 'That's up to Mary to do.' Asked about the possible conflict between the AILD, whose stated aim was a peaceful solution, and an arms manufacturer, Mr Holland said: 'I'm not sure what they (Elbit) do and how they do it. They might have peaceful solutions to conflicts.' He had the utmost confidence in Ms Easson and her probity.

"Federal Labor MP Melissa Parke - who has not taken one of the trips - said: 'Given the significant numbers of ALP members who are apparently being taken on these trips to Israel, it is a concern to know who is providing the funds, particularly where there is a person associated with an Israeli weapons manufacturer on the AILD committee. The Israel-Palestine conflict is a matter of ongoing and sometimes heated debate within the ALP. The best antidote to distrust and suspicion is full disclosure and full transparency'."

[* This puts Mary Easson's 2007 comment on the wall in a whole new light: "A wall in principle sounds like a terrible thing, but you go and see it and you think, 'Oh well, yeah, I can see why you would need that." See my 19/6/12 post A Family Affair.]

Beattie's Obsession with Israel

"Mr Beattie described a proposed ban on politicians travelling to Israel on trips funded by Jewish organisations as an 'extreme view' counter-productive to a two-state solution, which he supports. It smacks of [a] single-minded obsession with Israel. This is becoming an obsession and I don't think that's healthy politically,' Mr Beattie said." (Beattie blasts ALP's 'Stalinist' stance on Israel, Sharri Markson, The Australian, 4/2/16)

A single-minded obsession with Israel? Beattie should know:

"A Queensland-based Corporate Research Centre for software company SAP has become the primary IT solutions provider for the Israeli Government. Under the contract Queensland centre staff would collaborate with SAP Portals in Israel to develop software for SAP's global customers. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie congratulated the centre, saying 'A contract of this size is a tremendous coup for SAP and a glowing endorsement of SAP Australia's decision to choose the Smart State as the base for this Corporate Research Centre in 2001. I am told the Brisbane centre has quickly grown in status to become one of the major contributors to SAP'a global research arm,' Beattie said." (QLD provides IT solution for Israel, itnews.com.au, 25/3/04)

"A new drive by small and medium size exporters is beginning to impact on one of Australia's curious trading anomalies: our relatively modest export sales to Israel... But fresh enthusiasm is emerging for sales to Israel, driven partly by friendly rivalry between Queensland and Victoria for a greater slice of the export pie. Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, has declared he wants his state to become the major focus of Australian business with Israel..." (Israel export, Joe Parkes, dynamicbusiness.com, 1/2/06)

That was then. How about now?

Seems his single-minded obsession with the apartheid state has only grown:

"In her second Sydney appearance, ex MK Einat Wilf shared a platform with past Queensland Premier Peter Beattie before an audience of Labor and union stalwarts at Trades Hall. The two former Labor parliamentarians appeared together to launch the Australia-Israel Labor Dialogue, a new organisation which aims to foster dialogue and fraternal links between the Australian and Israeli Labor parties... Beattie argued for a future of creative partnership with Israel which he cited as the world's best model of the innovative high-tech based entrepreneurial spirit that he had hoped to foster with his 'Smart State' reforms while Premier of Queensland. In his speech Beattie gave pride of place to 'six perspectives to appeal to a new generation of Labor moderates' from a widely circulated recent article 'Labor must not turn its back on Israel' by former Union NSW Secretary, Michael Easson." (Australia-Israel Labor Dialogue launched, jwire.com.au, 18/2/15)

So what, pray, are these 6 "perspectives" which have been widely circulated among Labor moderates? Here's number one:

"The single greatest reason for continuing Israel-Palestine conflict remains Jew-hatred within Palestinian society. Until Palestinians find their Mandela moment, this long, tragic conflict will continue. In slogans on every public wall in Gaza and in much of the West Bank, in Arabic-language television shows, in Palestinian school classes, there is incitement to kill Jews as Jews not just Israelis. How can there be real peace in that atmosphere?"

The Palestine/Israel conflict is a colonial conflict, the natural and inevitable outcome of a British attempt (1917-48) to impose a European settler-colonial movement, Zionism, on an unwilling indigenous people. It has nothing whatever to do with Jews as such. The simple truth is that even if the colonists had been Buddhists, we'd have had the same outcome.

If perspective 1 is fundamentally flawed, why bother with the rest? That Beattie is prepared to swear by Easson's poppycock speaks volumes about him.

Beattie+Easson=Grin & Spin