"The bipartisan motion to celebrate Israel’s 60th anniversary was a predictably tawdry affair. Meaningless platitudes about "democracy", "freedom" and a "two-state solution" were reminiscent of any speech by US President George W. Bush or The Australian Greg Sheridan’s recent foray into Israeli Foreign Ministry talking points, "Deep inside the plucky country".
For a PM who has called himself "passionately pro-Israel", Rudd was never likely to question the appropriateness of endorsing a position that offends the majority Muslim population, many Jews, myself included and millions of other Australians. Barely a few weeks after Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generations, his compassion towards another people who suffered dispossession and ethnic cleansing, the Palestinians, was glaringly absent."
Antony Loewenstein [author of the best-selling My Israel Question [MUP - 2nd edition] writing on Crikey, here, deals with the Australian Parliament's motion congratulating Israel on its 60th birthday.
See also "Why I won't be celebrating 60 years of Israel" on the ABC's Unleashed.
For a PM who has called himself "passionately pro-Israel", Rudd was never likely to question the appropriateness of endorsing a position that offends the majority Muslim population, many Jews, myself included and millions of other Australians. Barely a few weeks after Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generations, his compassion towards another people who suffered dispossession and ethnic cleansing, the Palestinians, was glaringly absent."
Antony Loewenstein [author of the best-selling My Israel Question [MUP - 2nd edition] writing on Crikey, here, deals with the Australian Parliament's motion congratulating Israel on its 60th birthday.
See also "Why I won't be celebrating 60 years of Israel" on the ABC's Unleashed.
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