A map for Julie
Federal Labor MP Michael Danby has prepared a special map for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to explain where Daesh and Assad are, and the difference between Daesh and the real opponents of Syria and Iran on the battlefield in the northern and southern parts of western Syria.
Map of the Syrian Civil War
On Facebook, Michael Danby has challenged Malcolm Turnbull to rein in Ms Bishop, saying that he may be reticent to stop her allowing Iranian consulates to be set up in Australia as a quid pro quo for accepting Iranian boat people back. However, Danby said he felt that, ultimately, pressure from Turnbull’s constituents not to have an Iranian consulate in Malcolm Turnbull’s seat of Wentworth would see the Prime Minister change his mind. Foreign consulates in Sydney are mostly based in Woollahra, in Malcolm Turnbull’s federal electorate of Wentworth.
Tabya Plibersek, deouty delader of the Opposition has joined Danby in his call for a parliamentary debate on the Syrian situation.
At a doorstop media conference in Sydney she said: ” The first and most important thing is something that we have been calling for some time and that is for a clear statement in our parliament about what our political objective is in Syria and for a discussion by the Australian parliament, a debate about how we can best manage our involvement… The Russian involvement in air strikes does make the situation in Syria more complex and it is very important that the Australian Government clearly articulate the extent of our involvement, the involvement that they expect Australia to have in this increasingly complex theatre of war, and that can be debated in the Australian parliament.”
The Liberal-National Coalition is potentially just as capable as the Australian Labor Party of turning on Israel.
BUT they differ in an important respect: currently the Coalition does not perceive it to be in Australia’s national interest to lend diplomatic support to any step which would fabricate yet another “Palestinian” Arab state by means of pressure on Israel. Objectively, Australia has nothing to gain from such a policy or its outcome. It would merely aggravate regional instability, bringing no material or other benefit to Australia. The Coalition’s policy is to allow the parties to arrive at an agreement by means of negotiations.
The Labor Party, on the other hand, lends rhetorical/propaganda support, against the Australian national interest, for Israel to be pressured into a situation which would be prejudicial to Israel’s security, while not benefiting Australia in even a minuscule way. The extremists in the ALP have seized the upper hand and would cut off their nose to spite Israel.
The ALP’s arch-priest in this endeavour, constantly berates Israel with lies, disingenuousness and shocking displays of ignorance, while totally ignoring the obduracy and murderousness of Israel’s foes.
With respect to the Iranian nuclear bomb, of course it must be protested against vigorously and constantly, but what makes any one think that the Labor Party would be any more reluctant than the Coalition to take advantage of what the British Foreign Secretary recently lauded as “business opportunities” in Iran for his country’s capitalists?
Thank you dear editor for taking off the Danby anti Bishop propaganda ad.
Enough was enough
Today in the Australian ms Bishop calls for Iran to have a role…
Only blinded liberal branch members support this bishop policy
Not lib MPs who are squirming with embarrassment
It will be worse when parliament resumes & we have a full debate on this most extreme switch in Australian foreign policy
Has Mr Moss also written to PM Netanyahu to tell him to stop with his childish propaganda against the Iranian deal. Now Iran is getting involved in Syria to help out Putin. I bet Mr Obama didn’t see that coming! What I don’t get is; are those who are attacking Danby doing so because it’s a chance to criticize Labor, or are they joining Israel’s enemies who also want to wipe it off the map?
Michael Danby, Give it a rest. Ms Bishop surely knows who is who in this conflict. Stop this childish propaganda.
Rami Reed, do you really believe Julie Bishop knows who is who in this conflict? I bet she didn’t know Iran was going to enter the Syrian conflict on the side of Mr Putin.
I wish people stopped using this as a party political issue to score political points, but as an existentialist issue for Israel.
Thank you Henry Herzog.
Please Mr Danby:
While you are sending mud-maps and information about the political climate in Syria, please can you send some information to Fremantle Labour MP Melissa Parke. She seems to have very little knowledge about Israel and the Arab population which inhabits Gaza and the West Bank. To put it bluntly she is ignorant and shows definitive signs she is anti-Semitic/Anti-Israel/Anti-Zionist/Anti-Jews. She is a danger to your Labour Party ethos. Although seemingly mild-mannered she is doing your party a dis-service; ignorance and a lack of reliable information about the situation in this region is no excuse. Especially for a member of parliament.
Maybe it’s not ignorance; maybe it’s a preference for the values of Palestinian Arab society over the values of Israeli Jewish society.
Maybe she thinks that the former are a guide to what Australians should emulate.
Maybe she thinks that they are more in line with democratic socialism; you know, the sort that used to be the values of the socialist, democratic peoples’ republics.
So simplistic Mr Poddebsky: Either you’re with us or you’re against us – The fascist clarion call. Hasn’t done us Jews much good.
Melissa Parke was an international lawyer who worked with the UN and in Gaza – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Parke . She is pro-Palestinian, and in my view, misguided and wrong about the Israel Palestinian conflict, but is far from ‘ignorant’.
But I fail to see how your comments are relevant to whether the Australian government should be pursuing closer ties with the pro-terror, anti-Israel, human rights abusing, theocratic regime in Iran.
I could make similar comments about the Minister for Health, Sussan Ley, who is co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine – http://jewsdownunder.com/2014/12/24/oy-vey-sussan-ley/ . But that would be equally irrelevant.
The point of Mr Danby’s campaign, as I understand it, is to try and get the Australian government to reverse this slide towards a potentially dangerous relationship with Iran, with talk of intelligence sharing, consulates in Sydney and Melbourne etc.
This is an issue of policy, not which political party you support.
The Australian government’s change of direction towards Iran has been undertaken purely at an executive level, mainly through the Minister for Foreign Affairs, without any debate in Parliament or other public discussion or scrutiny.
I have read the comments of others on this website about Mr Danby’s campaign and many seem to be directed at shooting the messenger or the party of the messenger.
Do you think Mr Danby is wrong to point to this shift in policy and seek its reversal? Do you think he should just be silent on this? If so, please explain why.
Mr Goldberg – I am entirely with you and Mr Danby
On the subject of Bishop and her position/statements on Iran.
I took an opportunistic swipe at Danby here in the vain
Hope he would notice my comment ! (And call Ms Parke in on it)
I’m a staunch Lib voter AND generally very supportive of Bishop –
(I live In Foreign Minister Bishop’s electorate ) but on this matter of Iran she
Is walking a dangerous tight-rope – she’s not only swinging wildly in the breeze
With Obama dangling beneath her but her
seemingly un-brilliant rhetoric and unabashed and serendipitous political – correctness
May be the un-doing of her (glorious) climb into the Big Seat!
The academic contributors at GateStone Institute have got it right – she needs to be
Reading them more widely- herself not her spinners!
As for Danby – I encourage him to challenge her on this –
Parliament is the place to do it with intellectual intelligence and reliable academic
Evidence that the Whole Of parliament will hear!
Turnbull will have Danby’s ear for sure – so Danby (if you are reading this)
MAKE IT GOOD!
OK Ms Edelmen let’s agree Melissa Parke
is ignorant foolish & anything else. Now what about the
issue being discussed?? Do you agree with Julie Bishop’s accomodation
with Iran & thus Hezbollah?? Let’s hear your views on that.
We know your views on Parke. Next.