Victorian Labor calls for Palestine recognition
Zionist Federation of Australia expresses its deep disappointment in the resolution
The Victorian Labor conference passed a motion on Sunday calling on the federal government to “move immediately to recognise Palestine”.
The AJN understands two motions calling on the federal government to recognise Palestine were initially on the conference agenda before being pulled. One was subsequently put back on the agenda as the last item of business. Despite not having the support of Premier Daniel Andrews, it passed overwhelmingly.
The Zionist Federation of Australia expressed its deep disappointment in the resolution.
“It is a truism that if you reward bad behaviour, you’ll get more of it. From its support for terrorism, its rejection of negotiations and its promotion of vicious antisemitism, the Palestinian leadership actively undermines peace. By calling on the federal government to reward this behaviour with diplomatic recognition, the Victorian Labor resolution implicitly celebrates this,” ZFA President Jeremy Leibler said.
“The resolution is entirely inconsistent with the stated position of the Foreign Minister Penny Wong who has repeatedly rejected any unilateral actions on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.”
The resolution is non-binding, however The AJN understands Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will face significant pressure at the federal Labor conference slated for August.
The AJN understands Macnamara MP Josh Burns spoke against the motion.
More in this week’s AJN.
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