Wayne Swan, Saul Same share a podium

DALIA SABLE

TREASURER Wayne Swan reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to Israeli sovereignty and a two-state solution on Wednesday night at the Zionist Council of Victoria’s (ZCV) 71st annual general meeting.

Swan said the Government has a “clear and unambiguous commitment to Israel’s sovereign right to exist within secure borders”.

“Our support for Israel is part of our universal opposition to terrorism and our belief in the superiority of tolerance over all forms of racism,” Swan said.

“It’s because we share these values that we unreservedly condemn all rocket attacks on Israel; oppose the unacceptable views about Israel and the Holocaust held by the current President of Iran; and insist that the resolutions passed in world forums against all forms of racism are just that — against all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism.”

At the same event, Saul Same was awarded the coveted Jerusalem Prize by the ZCV, Zionist Federation of Australia and World Zionist Organisation.

At 91-years-old, Same said he was “honoured and grateful” for the award and that he would “never forget it”.

“It is something I will treasure for as long as I live and I will live a long time,” he said.

Israeli Ambassador to Australia Yuval Rotem also spoke at the event, reflecting on Israel’s past year beginning with the Gaza war and ending with the recent publication of the Goldstone report.

He said Australia has been a strong ally, standing by Israel when other nations have faltered.