Honest Reporting award for WA Friends of Israel
Jerusalem-based media monitor Honest Reporting has named The Friends of Israel group based in Perth Watchdog of the Week.
In September 2008, nine highly committed individuals held an informal meeting with the aim of creating a formal organisation with priority to be given to fighting Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, assisting pro-Israel activity on Perth campuses and developing a website.
With the endorsement of over 450 community members at a public meeting in May 2009, Friends of Israel (Western Australia) officially launched in September 2010 with the objectives of:
- Supporting Israel as the State of the Jewish people
- Defending Israel’s right to live in peace and security, and
- Ensuring accurate and fair reporting on the Middle East
Currently it is working on a number of key aims and challenges:
- Providing members and the broader Australian community with up-to-date, factual information to assist in their knowledge of and their advocacy for Israel.
- Developing dialogue with the mainstream churches, the trade union movement and the broader Australian community.
- Promoting messages to both Jewish and non-Jewish schools and various community groups.
- Arranging guest speakers from Israel and encouraging audience attendance from across the spectrum.
- Responding to adverse newspaper reports with letters to the editor.
Fast forward to today and FOIWA has its own website and membership stands at over 1,000.
A spokesman for FOIWA told J-Wire: “Bob Kucera APM, JP, ex Minister in the WA parliament, has been chairman of FOIWA since its inception. He has been an outstanding chairman leading a Committee of enthusiastic and capable contributors which is no doubt the secret of our success!”
Honest Reporting circulates its reports to over 150,000 subscribers.
