Parliamentary spat over Sharon
A CONDOLENCE motion on the death of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon in Parliament last week, became the subject of a heated debate as political point-scoring got the better of politicians setting out to pay their respects to the late Israeli leader.
After Sharon was feted by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Tanya Plibersek, solemnity lapsed into politicking when Minister for Education Christopher Pyne said he wished to support the “genuine and heartfelt remarks” of Abbott, Bishop and Shorten, and then simply the “remarks” of Plibersek.
Leaving out “genuine and heartfelt” was viewed as a gibe at Plibersek, who, more than a decade ago dubbed Sharon a “war criminal”.
Shadow Minister for Finance Tony Burke accused Pyne of “point scoring” on “the death of a person”, while Plibersek rose to say she was “personally offended by the remarks” and asked Pyne to withdraw them.
The Speaker, Bronwyn Bishop, warned that “the way in which we are conducting this part of the business [is] taking away from the seriousness”.
Tuesday’s motion started off with Abbott hailing Sharon as “one of the architects of modern Israel”, who was “at times a hawk, at times a dove”, and who could be credited with “reshaping” the political landscape of Israel by withdrawing from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
Shorten then lauded Sharon’s leadership in the battlefield, in politics and later in the pursuit of a two-state solution.
Plibersek described him as a “significant figure in modern Israeli history” reflects on Israel trip.
TIMNA JACKS
comments