Liberal MPs report back from Israel

Federal Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley affirmed her support for her party’s position against the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state in remarks to an Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) luncheon in Melbourne on April 26.

Ley, and her party colleague and Federal MP for Berowra Julian Leeser, had been invited to offer their reflections on their recent visit to Israel and the United Arab Emirates as part of AIJAC’s Rambam Fellowship program, which provides participants an opportunity to see Israel and the Palestinian territories for themselves, while meeting with high-level officials, educators, journalists and other speakers.

Having been raised in Dubai as a child, Ley said she was particularly struck by the way the UAE’s attitudes towards Israelis had evolved since the signing of the 2020 Abraham Accords, something she hoped would encourage others to sort out their differences with Israel peacefully for mutual benefit.

Leeser said that although it was not his first visit to Israel, the program meaningfully improved his understanding of Israel, its complexity and its challenges.

Ley’s chief of staff Dean Shachar, who also visited Israel, addressed the gathering.

Both Ley and Leeser said they enjoyed being encouraged to ask provocative questions from everyone they met, and especially enjoyed being in Israel on an election day, where they could see Israel’s democracy in action.

Ley had previously expressed her support for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

But she told The AJN last year that since she had previously spoken publicly on the matter of Israel and Palestine, “a few things have changed”.

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