Palestine – Rudd And Carr Tightlipped On Anti-Jewish Policy
Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Bob Carr have gone underground since Carr announced on 8 August at the Lakemba Mosque in Sydney that Rudd personally as well as the Labor Party had adopted as policy that Jews had no right to legally live in the West Bank…writes David Singer.
“I’ve been to Ramallah, I’ve spoken to the Palestinian leadership, and we support their aspirations to have a Palestinian state in the context of a Middle East of peace. And that means respect for the right of Israel to exist. But we want that Palestinian state to exist, in the context of a peace in the Middle East, and that’s why we say, unequivocally, all settlements on Palestinian land are illegal under international law and should cease. That is the position, of Kevin Rudd, the position of the Federal Labor Government, and we don’t make apologies for it.”
Attempts to elicit whether Rudd personally and the Labor Party had adopted this policy prior to Carr’s announcement have ended in total confusion.
Labor’s candidate for the seat of Stirling – Dan Caddy – received no answers from Carr when he asked those pertinent questions.
An embarrassed Caddy wrote to the constituent seeking such information:
“I have received advice from our (Foreign) Minister’s office which I have included below. I appreciate that it does not specifically address the questions you have posed, but I hope it clearly articulates what the position is.”
Caddy’s response was however seriously undermined when sitting Labor Member for Melbourne Ports – Michael Danby – spoke out a few days later:
“There’s a narrow view in the Department of Foreign Affairs, in their legal section, that the settlements are illegal. It’s not the view of the government as I understand it.
“He [Carr] has accepted their [the legal department’s] view. The Prime Minister hasn’t accepted that view as far as I understand it.
“I disagree with the Foreign Minister’s interpretation of this. I was disappointed; of course I was disappointed.”
Rudd could clear up this apparent confusion very easily by issuing a one sentence press release affirming or denying that the Lakemba Mosque Declaration represents his personal view and Labor Party policy.
However Rudd has remained silent in the face of angry protests lodged by peak Jewish organisations and the Opposition spokesperson on Foreign Affairs – Julie Bishop.
One can only conclude in the face of such Prime Ministerial silence that Carr’s Lakemba Mosque Declaration was shoddy policy made on the run with the knowledge and acquiescence of the Prime Minister in an attempt to secure the votes of the Moslem community in the elections to be held on 7 September.
The Moslem vote for the Labor Party is by no means assured following another hastily cobbled together policy announced by Rudd in July regarding asylum seekers – making it clear newcomers would no longer be re-settled in Australia under any circumstances – but would be transferred to Papua New Guinea for processing and re-settlement.
This heartless policy would be anathema to all Moslems already in Australia – especially families of potential asylum seekers dreaming of one day being re-united with other family members.
Predictably one could reasonably expect a backlash in the voting intentions of all ethnic and religious groupings in Australia impacted by this policy reversal.
$3 million dollars had reportedly been spent on an advertising blitz in the Australian media explaining the new refugee plan for six days before any similar ads were placed in the countries-of-origin of asylum seekers.
The advertising campaign is going to cost a staggering $30 million – and will now controversially run at taxpayer cost during the election period.
A Department of Immigration spokesman has confirmed the intention of the advertising.
“The advertisements are aimed to speak to ethnic communities in Australia which are the main boat people source. They include Afghans, Iranians, Sri Lankans, Iraqis and more recently Vietnamese people though there are of course other communities.”
He said the aim was to spread the message through “word of mouth” from Australia back to those communities.
The Labor Party holds a number of seats by very small margins where Moslems and different ethnic groups comprise a significant proportion of the voters.
It is becoming increasingly evident that a bizarre balancing act was performed by Carr at the Lakemba Mosque – announcing unequivocally and without apology as Labor Party policy that Jews are not legally entitled to live in the West Bank – thereby hoping to placate and ameliorate Moslem concerns with another Labor Party policy denying Moslem asylum seekers any legal entitlement to live in Australia.
To further impress Moslem voters – Carr added an assurance that this anti-Jewish policy concerning the West Bank was personally embraced by Prime Minister Rudd and so would remain unchanged if the Labor Party is returned to power.
His assurances seem to have fallen on deaf Moslem ears – if the results of recently published polls in those tightly held Labor marginal seats are any guidance.
Carr – and Rudd – have amazingly managed to alienate Jews, Moslems and other ethnic groups – who will consider as immoral and inhumane – and be motivated to vote against – Labor policies that deny Jews the right to settle in the West Bank or asylum seekers the right to settle in Australia.
Hastily conceived policies drawn up in the heat of an election campaign appear set to hit the Labor Party with devastating effect.
David Singer is a Sydney Lawyer and Foundation Member of the International Analysts Network
David,
This continual analysing, re-analysing, requiring clarifications etc. etc. ad nauseam on your part is quite astonishing, but then you are a lawyer.
Carr’s statement was not policy on the run as you’d like everyone to believe.
The leftist parties will, as a general rule, always be in the corner of the perceived underdog, no matter even if that underdog is a brutal serial lying barbarian.
The Democratic Party in the USA has definitely become hostile to israel and so is the Labor Party in Australia. That is the nature of the leftist beast.
It doesn’t matter that individuals within the party are pro Israel.
It doesn’t matter squat that there are Jewish members of the party.
What matters is the majority opinion and a socialist agenda will equate to an anti-Israel party line.
Carr did everyone a favour by confirming the true stance of the Labour Party line. By implication “The Greens” and every other leftist party with their socialist agendas will have the same anti-Israel platform. Case closed.
Only you seem to not want to face reality. You appear to want to gyrate around, asking for endless clarifications of who said what and did he mean what he said and is that the feeling within the party as a whole etc. etc. etc.
On a lighter note, I think if I wanted a lawyer to drag a case out I’d hire you for sure. I think you’d have the judge pulling his hair out by the end of the case.
Shana Tova to all.
Gil
Thanks for the backhanded compliment. Could you afford me or would you expect free advice – which I am happy to give you now.
Carr has attempted to fit Rudd and the Labor Party unequivocally and unapologetically with the anti- Jewish policy which Carr himself has stated on many previous occasions before his Lakemba Mosque Declaration.
Rather than jump to judgement it is only fair that Rudd and the Labor Party be given an opportunity to respond to allegations made by Carr – and not them – as to their views and policy on the right of Jews to live in the West Bank.
They have not responded so far and the longer they remain silent the more obvious it becomes that they do indeed embrace that anti- Jewish policy.
Rushing to judgement is something lawyers don’t do.
If guys like you followed the same path – we lawyers would have no clients.
I’ve said a lot in other replies to the earlier thread, and won’t again go into international law.
Just let it be said:
1. Carr was echoing US State Department Policy, to which I expect Rudd, Cabinet and Caucus fully subscribe; and
2. Re the location and context of the utterance at Lakemba, Mencken says its best:
If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner.
H. L. Mencken
Let’s face it.This abundance of commentaries, theories, calls for replies, clarifications etc. is simply humiliating. We are dealing here with a few seasoned politicians who have absolutely no regard whatsoever for most of the issues we, Jews and our true friends, consider essential for us, AS WELL AS, the more elevated intellectually observer or just mere considerate citizen.
Blinded by farcical self- confidence cum unrealistic political ambitions both Bob Carr and Kevin Rudd defy some of the principles definitive for a genuine democratic socio-political structure, broadly also defined as civilized Western values. Personal, very self-centered vectors in their political careers are far more important than considerations for ethical values. Bob Carr still imagines that he would be of any relevance in the real world of political decisions. Rudd simply refuses to abandon his vane ambitions and believes that through his fleeting regurgitated leadership justice has been rendered by virtue of conjectural default in a political brain dead wilderness some call ALP. Under these circumstances “favours” or even a modicum of consideration for what we Jews consider important , cannot possibly be expected. They owe us NOTHING, we represent for them a very negligible entity, in number and morally terms. Conversely let’s also admit that both Rudd and Carr ( and here I could list heaps more Labor “heroes” ) also represent a big fat gurnischt for us as well !!!
Otto
The longer Rudd and the Labor Party take to clear up the confusion caused by:
1. What Carr said at the Mosque about Rudd and the Labor Party adopting as policy that Jews have no legal right to live in the West Bank
2. What Caddy was not told by Carr in his honest attempt to seek clarification as to when Rudd and the Labor Party had adopted the policy that Jews have no legal right to live in the West Bank
3. Danby asserting that what Carr said about Rudd at the Mosque was incorrect and
4. By our usually conversational and approachable Prime Minister being strangely silent and saying nothing to clear up the confusion
– the more voters are going to be alienated as they object to being treated like village idiots.
David, it hurts me to say that I can’t argue with what you said….
….sorry, sorry, I just found an argument i.e.:
WHO GIVES A STUFF IF LABOR GOES TO BUGGERIES !!!!