MP addresses Zionism Victoria

Federal Labor MP Michelle Ananda-Rajah defended the government’s recent decision to classify the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as “Occupied Palestinian Territories” when she addressed Zionism Victoria’s executive meeting last Thursday night.

Speaking to representatives of ZV’s affiliate organisations, the Member for Higgins also shared her reflections on a trip she made to Israel in July, which had been led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Milton Dick.

Ananda-Rajah hailed the mission as “a historic visit”, noting it was the first time a Speaker of the Australian Parliament had led a delegation to the Jewish State. The trip included open dialogue with numerous Members of the Knesset with no subjects off limit, as well as visits to Beersheba and other Israeli innovation hubs.

The Canberra contingent, which included Hasluck (WA) Labor MP Tania Lawrence and independent Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel, also spent a day in the Palestinian territories, meeting a delegation led by the Palestinian Prime Minister.

Describing the visit as informative, immersive and instructive, Ananda-Rajah reflected, “You can’t really understand Israel unless you’ve been to Israel.”

On the ALP’s recent shift in terminology, she insisted it was the action of “a friend”.

Citing the accelerated settlement activity this year – “the most in a decade, I understand” – she said, “We can either be a friend of Israel that is complicit and enables and just tells the government what it wants to hear. Or we can be a friend that is a trusted confidant, and we choose the latter.

“I understand that this change in language upset a lot of the community … it makes the Jewish community, the Diaspora, feel like they don’t belong … which is something I can understand also as a migrant.

“But the intent is to really give pause to the Israeli government and have them reconsider some of the choices that are being made right now.”

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