ALP on an Israeli study mission
In the first mission of its kind, the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue has hosted a group of eleven members and officials of the Australian Labor Party on a Study Mission to Israel.
Paul Frayne (Office of Andrew Giles MHR), Kent Rowe (ALP Secretary NT), Mitchell Wilson (NSW ALP Organiser), Jessica Malnersic (President NSW Young Labor), Tim Hammond (Barrister), Adam Slonim (AILD host), Nitzan Adler (guide), Kaila Murnain (Assistant Federal Secretary ALP NSW), Michael Vaughan (Office of Tanya Plibersek MHR), Greg Holland (ALP Candidate NSW State Election), Rose Butler Jackson (Assistant Secretary, NSW ALP), Michael Borowick (AILD Chair)
The eleven AILD Mission participants included professional staff of various Australian state branches of the ALP, advisors to ALP Parliamentarians, and ALP candidates to various Australian Parliaments.
The group spent a week touring Israel being briefed by academics, journalists, and policy advisers, the Australian Embassy, the Knesset and spent a morning in Ramallah meeting the Palestinian Authority and PLO spokespeople.
Mission highlights included meeting the leadership of the Israeli Labor Party, touring Sderot and the Gaza border crossing, visiting Gush Etzion, and seeing first hand the work of Australian doctors at the Tzefat hospital treating Syrian child casualties of the civil war.
In a first ever occurrence, the Israeli Labor Party welcomed the delegation of Australian Labor Party leaders and officials to their Knesset party room meeting on Monday 1st December 2014.
AILD Chair Michael Borowick said, “The historical fraternal links between the Australian and Israel Labor Parties have been waning, and the AILD’s purpose is to rebuild the bridges between the 2 parties and re-kindle the friendly and valuable relationship. We are aiming to set up regular exchanges between the parties, and have set things in motion as a consequence of the success of the this Mission”, Borowick said.
The AILD Mission is a week-long study tour of Israel, with participants having never previously visited Israel.
Who wouldn’t be a politician?
I know we need understanding, but wouldn”t it show a little more sincerity if they paid their own expenses at least contributed to it.
You have your own that could well benefit from the cost of twelve participants; are their partners included?