Editorial (December 11, 2009)
Abbott, a true friend of Israel
LAST week’s federal Liberal leadership change is significant -— not just in terms of policy and ideology, but also in the more inclusive leadership style that Tony Abbott is likely to adopt, in contrast to deposed leader Malcolm Turnbull.
For the Jewish community, Abbott represents a decidedly different package across a number of issues. The Opposition frontbencher and former Howard government minister has a very different take on social issues, including the high-profile debate on climate change, and may hold views not shared by many members of the Jewish community in these areas.
But the community can rest assured that in Abbott they have a passionate friend and dedicated supporter of Israel. His support for Israel has been evoked on more than one occasion, most recently at last week’s Australia Israel Leadership Forum, where he gave his first public address as Opposition leader, sharing the podium with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Abbott has been described as a politician who has strong convictions, but who is willing to debate them — and to work with others.
The leadership tsunami that gripped the Liberals last week also saw the departure of Turnbull, another close friend of the Jewish community and avid advocate of Israel.
The Member for Wentworth, with the seat’s strong Jewish population, never lost an opportunity to be a stalwart partner with the Jewish community on domestic issues and on Israel.
It remains to be seen whether Turnbull will stand for Wentworth at the next election, or if he will call it a day before that poll.
Politics is a rocky road and party leadership is a hazardous role, particularly for the Liberal Party, as it struggles to consolidate and stabilise in the wake of its 2007 election defeat. But Turnbull’s loss to Australian politics is a loss not only for the Jewish community, but for Australia at large.
Strengthening the ties that bind Israel to Australia
THIS has been a historic week for Australian-Israeli relations. Not only did Australia, in hosting the second Australia Israel Leadership Forum, host what has been described as the highest-level Israeli government delegation ever, but Australian Government and Opposition officials on both state and national levels responded in kind, giving their Israeli visitors a warm welcome we can all be proud of.
As Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told The AJN, the Israeli delegation viewed this visit as very important because, in his words, “it is so rare to find a country that is so supportive of Israel these days”, and he warned that this support is not something that Jerusalem would dare take for granted.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation of both governing and opposition Israeli legislators, Shalom acknowledged that “we [Israelis] are all in the same boat”, and as if to drive that point home, the delegation found its peaceful mission disrupted at times by violent demonstrators. This blind hatred of Israel left no room for petty distinctions between Likud or Kadima, or even scientists or academics, and only saw Zionists — in the protestors’ minds, a crime in itself. When the smoke cleared, it was plain to see that all the disruptors managed to do was discredit themselves.
As the successful forum draws to an end, the question that should be asked is what can now be done to raise the bar and take relations between the two countries to the next level?
A challenge by visiting Kadima legislator Avi Dichter to the Australian Government may be a key to answering that question.
“Jerusalem is still not recognised by any country as the capital of Israel, even by our closest friend,” Dichter told a gathering in Melbourne.
“We deserve and we expect such a step and there would be no better way than to open an embassy in Jerusalem. So my dear friends, I think it’s time to take another historic first step in our close relations and let’s open the Australian embassy in Jerusalem.”
If the European Union can declare, as it did this week, that East Jerusalem should be the capital of a future Palestinian state, Australia can and should be prepared to make a powerful statement of its own on Jerusalem, and finally acknowledge the reality on the ground: that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and is the rightful address for the Australian embassy -— today and not tomorrow.
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