Taking Australia “down a dangerous path”
The Federal Labor Member for Melbourne Ports Michael Danby says that Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s shift towards Iran suggests that Australia would support Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, who has killed 200,000 of his own people, remaining in place in some kid of Iranian–Russian settlement in Syria.”
Danby said Bishop’s shift was confirmed in the front page story in the Weekend Australian.
Michael Danby
He added: “She has actually gone further that my ad www.nolibirandeal.com suggested – such an arrangement would bring the Iranians to the borders of Israel in the Golan”, continued Mr Danby. “Backing Assad, Russia and Iran is not only unethical, it is impractical as the choices in the Syria are not a simplistic choice between Daesh and the mass murderer Assad. As Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has said, both are equally as bad.”
Mr Danby continued, “I have repeatedly challenged Ms Bishop to hold a Parliamentary debate to discuss the merits of her sudden policy shift on Iran. By visiting Iran in May, by meeting the Iranian foreign minister in New York in September, by announcing an intelligence sharing deal with Iran, by encouraging Western military cooperation with Iran, by announcing negotiations to increase the number of visas Iranians will get for Australia and by floating the possibility of Iranian consulates in Sydney and Melbourne, Ms Bishop has to all intents and purposes signalled a new Australian policy vis-a-via Iran. This is a significant and far-reaching policy shift and must be accompanied by a public debate. Instead of being willing to have this debate, Ms Bishop has engaged in ad hominem attacks and generally attempted to muddy the water by raising asylum seekers that arrived in Australia during the term of the last government and her party’s strong stance against BDS, of all things. It would be better if she answered my queries.”
Mr Danby said, “The Australian Jewish community is well aware of the role of Iranian diplomats in the AMIA bombing in Argentina in 1994, and of the dangers an increased Iranian diplomatic presence in Australia holds for Australian Jews. Interpol issued red notices for several Iranians – including the immediate past Iranian Defence Minister – over that attack.”
Mr Danby concluded, “The new prime minister needs to overrule his foreign minister. She is taking Australia down a dangerous path.”
You are projecting your own mindset onto me, Eleonora Mostert, a common enough trait of those who fail to see themselves as they are and avoid tackling the actual topic under discussion.
I admire your tenacity in pushing the important points you make, Michael Danby, as well as the clear expression of them. Bishop will continue to avoid discussion on the issue and I hope you will continue to push for it.
Leon, for heaven’s sake, the Labor Party is not in power, and has not been for two years. Can we stick to the point.
Pot calling the kettle black. Get off your one track mind that Labor is like a god. They put our country into debt and will do so again and again. Don’t blame the
Absolutely correct, but in no way does it absolve the Labor Party of its sins of acting as a force that encourages Arab Palestinian intransigence, aggression, racism and hubris. Moreover Labor’s constant baseless slandering of Israel is a force that encourages antisemitism in this country.
Yes, it would be wiser if Mr Danby took Bob Carr to task for his ratings against Israel and voting pro -Palestinian in the Security Council when he was labours foreign minister.