Ley reflects on Israel
Deputy Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley recently addressed an Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) luncheon following her return from Israel and the West Bank.
Deputy Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, her chief of staff Dean Shachar, federal MPs Julian Leeser and Jenny Ware, and Senator Hollie Hughes recently addressed an Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) luncheon for supporters, following their return from Rambam study trips over the last year to Israel and the West Bank.
Some of the speakers were also taken to the UAE to observe the impact of the Abraham Accords.
Ley, who grew up in the UAE and was visiting Israel for the first time, said the accords and the visit had changed her view. Leeser noted how the UAE visit, and the warmth with which his interlocutors there discussed Israel, was a demonstration of how much the region had changed.
All the speakers stressed that the Israeli–Palestinian conflict was no longer the main game in the region. Instead, they noted that Iran and its proxies, particularly Hezbollah in Lebanon, were the primary political and security issues both inside Israel as well as in the surrounding areas.
The returnees underlined the importance of the Rambam program, which provides a firsthand look at various facets of the domestic and regional situation, including conversations with senior Palestinian officials and briefings by a variety of experts.
They noted that there’s nothing like seeing the situation on the ground, such as bomb shelters in Israeli playgrounds or Hezbollah flags and infrastructure visible across the northern border, to bring home the reality of Israel’s precarious security situation.
The speakers also conveyed their impressions of Israel’s strong democracy, with some having visited during last year’s Israeli election. After visiting Palestinian administered areas, Senator Hughes noted that the PA government’s “pay-for-slay” policy and the monuments to suicide bombers she saw in Ramallah appeared to make discussing peace difficult.
Aside from the immediate politics, Ware underscored the importance of biblical archaeology in demonstrating the thousands of years of Jewish connection to the land. Ware and Hughes further highlighted their fascination after visiting ancient historical sites including the Western Wall, King David’s palace and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Both also discussed the moving experience of Yad Vashem and the importance of Holocaust memory.
Sussan Ley speaks to AIJAC.
Photo: Supplied
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