Pollies batting for Israel
POLITICIANS on both sides of the aisle have voiced their support for Israel in Parliament in the past week following the massacre at a Jerusalem synagogue late last month.
Member for Higgins Kelly O’Dwyer and Western Australia senator Joe Bullock, rose in their respective houses to show solidarity with Israel in the wake of the attacks which saw Palestinian terrorists storm the shul with guns, knives and axes, killing four worshippers and a Druze policeman.
O’Dwyer responded to a motion put by Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou for the Parliament to recognise 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian people and its efforts to raise awareness of, “obstacles to the ongoing peace process, particularly those requiring urgent action such as settlements, Jerusalem, the blockade of Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory”.
O’Dwyer spoke out against the motion, arguing it was not conducive to promoting peace and was untimely. “I was horrified by the recent mutilation of five Israelis, including a Druze policeman, who were butchered in the recent attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem. This follows the hostilities over our winter between Israel and Hamas. The hostilities saw Hamas terrorising the citizens of Israel through their bombardment of towns and cities. Innocent adults and children were killed and maimed on both sides as a result of Hamas purposefully firing from civilian areas and even United Nations schools and hospitals.”
O’Dwyer went on to describe Israel as a progressive and inclusive society that existed under the threat of Palestinian terror organisations and refuted claims of a medical and food aid blockade of Gaza.
On Tuesday last week Bullock expressed his horror at the Jerusalem terror attack and went on to rebuke the media for its anti-Israel bias, which he said has led to an increase in anti-Semitism.
“Media bias, whether by omission or commission, influences the reporting of events in the Middle East, including the military action in Gaza. There are the double standards of many in our community who claim to be interested only in human rights but whose real agenda is to attack Israel. This climate creates an unbalanced and fertile ground for anti-Semitism.”
ADAM KAMIEN
WA senator Joe Bullock.
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