AIJAC says thank you
The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council has hosted a lunch to thank South Australian MLC Andrew McLachlan for his leadership role in resisting efforts to pass a one-sided motion calling for unilateral recognition of ‘Palestine” in the SA Legislative Council last month.
Barry Bloom, Andrew McLachlan MLC, Colin Rubenstein, David Southwick MLA
Instead, he engineered the passage of a constructive motion promoting a negotiated two-state solution. McLachlan explained the developments within the South Australian parliament which had led to the push by the Labor party and the Greens for call for unilateral recognition of Palestine. A motion calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state was moved by Labor lower house member Tony Piccolo in June and passed with the backing of South Australian Labor caucus. This was the first time that any Australian parliament has passed a motion formally calling for such unilateral recognition of “Palestine.”
McLachlan who is also the co-convenor of the South Australian Parliamentary Friends of Israel group, successfully resisted efforts to have the same hostile motion also passed in the Legislative Council. Ultimately, he moved a counter motion in the upper house which calls “on both sides to resume direct negotiations in good faith” and “on the Commonwealth government to recognise the state of Palestine once the two sides have successfully negotiated a two-state solution, as required by international law”. McLachlan ‘s resolution passed by a vote of 11 to 10 with the assistance of former Nick Xenophon Team upper house member John Darley – defeating the one-sided Labor/Green motion, which made no reference to Israel’s right to exist.
While pleased with this important victory, McLachlan warned that continued vigilance and support is needed, as moves to unilaterally recognise Palestine will almost certainly continue, he predicted.
