Editorial (June 19, 2009)

 

The prudence of demilitarisation 

THE violence in Iran in the aftermath of its election is, first and foremost, a timely reminder of the unspeakable danger it would pose to Israel and the world if this volatile and aggressive regime succeeds in building a nuclear arsenal.¬†It is worth mentioning that the friction between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi has nothing to with their feelings toward Israel -— both men hate the Jewish State with equal fervour.

Reports that Hamas members came to the aid of Ahmadinejad during the crisis is just another example of the unholy alliance between the Islamic Republic and the warlords of Gaza.¬†Violence and instability is endemic to the region. There is no disputing that.¬†This brings us to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s policy speech, which he delivered at Bar-Ilan University on Sunday.¬†

Netanyahu made headlines for unveiling a vision of a future Palestinian state living in peace side-by-side with Israel. World leaders gave him credit for that.¬†However, at the same time, some of them appeared to portray Netanyahu’s call that any such state be demilitarised as little more than a starting point for negotiations, US President Obama among them.¬†

Maybe so, but it is important, in the interests of peace, to give some credence to Netanyahu’s two biggest concerns about Palestinian statehood.¬†First, Netanyahu asked that Palestinians “clearly and unambiguously recognise Israel as the State of the Jewish people”. That affirmation of Israel’s legitimacy, more substantive than simple diplomatic recognition, is the very foundation of peace. It validates what Israel is.¬†Second was Netanyahu’s call for demilitarisation to protect the safety of Israel’s cities and even its airports.¬†

“Without these two conditions”, Netanyahu said, “there is a real danger that [the Palestinian state] would become another terrorist base against the Jewish State, such as the one in Gaza.”¬†By not fully validating Netanyahu’s legitimate concerns, Obama and other world leaders are ignoring the lessons of Iran and falsely raising Palestinian hopes of a two-state solution that would fail to take into account the Middle East’s violent realities.¬†

 

State of the union 

FROM the time the first Israeli tank rolled into Gaza to mark the beginning of Operation Cast Lead, leftist groups around the world have been falling over each other to beat Israel on the head with the biggest sticks they could find. The BDS (boycotts, divestment and sanctions) movement, as it is known, is thought by its proponents to be one way to strike at the heart of the Jewish State and there are elements in Europe and other nations that are striving hard for that to happen. 

There have been half-hearted attempts by fringe groups to have the BDS movement develop here in Australia, but perhaps the biggest problem in this country is that the push is being led by a bunch of academics.¬†Academia has a difficult time getting noticed on matters of importance to most Australians, so an academic boycott of Israel -— way off the radar for the great majority of Australians -— is hardly likely to attract attention or interest.¬†

Those pushing for the BDS movement to gain real traction in this country would likely look towards the trade union movement for a boost, but thanks to a resolution passed quietly and amid little fanfare in Brisbane last month, that’s not about to happen.¬†In a welcome development, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Congress -— the highest decision-making body of the Australian union movement -— resolved to take a balanced position on the Israel-Palestine issue.¬†

Sensibly, the ACTU has decided that its efforts in the Middle East should be focused on how it can help workers and their families -— Israeli, Palestinian and others -— who are affected by the conflict.¬†The driving force behind the resolution is Paul Howes, the national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, who is also one of the co-founders of Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine (TULIP), an international group set up specifically to counter the BDS movement.¬†

The trade union movement can be intimidating and doubtless, there would be plenty of anti-Israel sentiment among the rank and file, so Howes deserves much praise and some thanks, for sticking to his guns and ensuring the Australian trade union movement’s stance on Israel is just and balanced.