23 December 2023, The Australian, by Dave Sharma: At his Lowy Institute address on Tuesday evening, Albanese asserted Australia had a responsibility to uphold and defend the global framework. But at every test, at every juncture where the international system is being tested, this government goes to ground. Albanese is relegating Australia to the role of bystander in world affairs, a commentator but not an actor.
Read MoreLabor MPs break ranks on Israel
19 December 2023, Sydney Morning Herald, by Michael McGowan: Dozens of high-profile Labor figures, including members of the Albanese and Minns governments, have signed an open letter declaring the human rights of Palestinians have been ‘‘grossly violated’’ and accusing Israel of policies aimed at ‘‘the domination of one people over another’’.
Read MoreTony Burke says people have right to grieve Gaza deaths and backs flying Palestinian flag in Australia
Albanese government minister Tony Burke has backed a Sydney council’s decision to raise the Palestinian flag until a ceasefire is declared in the Israel-Gaza conflict, saying people had a right to grieve what they saw happening to Palestinians. Burke, one of the most senior members of the Labor government, represents an electorate with one of […]
Read More‘No Rush to Declare for Palestine’
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has labelled the recognition of Palestine as a “hypothetical”, despite Labor agreeing at national conference doing so would be an “important priority”. Senator Wong said she was “not going to engage in hypotheticals” about the timing of recognising Palestine as a state and would not explain why the government was not […]
Read MoreLabor stays the course over Palestine recognition
Labor is facing calls for the recognition of Palestine to become a priority for the government, with a commitment to statehood already in the party’s policy platform. No timeline has been attached to implement the policy, with some pro-Palestinian Labor delegates pushing to have it expedited. But pro-Israel elements of the party threatened to try […]
Read MoreFrozen between despair and denial
Pressure is mounting on the Albanese government to recognise Palestine as a state. Following a resolution moved by Penny Wong, this became ALP party policy in 2021, and it will almost certainly be reaffirmed at this year’s party conference in August. Former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans has written a powerful defence of the policy, which […]
Read MoreShocking Backward Step on Middle East
Allowing domestic politics to dictate foreign policy is never wise. Allowing internal party politics to determine external settings is even worse. But this is exactly what the Labor government has done with its latest clumsy announcement about how it will refer to disputes in the Middle East. In an attempt to avoid embarrassment for Anthony […]
Read MoreLabor Appeases Party’s Left with Israel Shift Ahead of National Conference
Labor’s hardened position on Israel – calling its settlements on the West Bank “illegal under international law” and referring to the West Bank and Gaza as “Occupied Palestinian Territories” – sparked predicable fury. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham accused the government of reacting to pressure from party activists on the left ahead of Labor’s […]
Read MoreLabor’s ‘symbolic’ shift on Israel a split from Western allies
There are not many occasions when a middle power with a relatively small population, like Australia, can make a significant impact on world affairs. Either on the field of battle or in diplomacy. A few instances, however, immediately come to mind. In 1918 – the year of victory on the Western Front – the Australian […]
Read MoreLabor’s defence of American empire, Israel and a shrinking nation
So, there it is: a nod to the mental bandwidth of what passes for the right’s understanding of the geopolitical realities of the current moment. Labor’s modest shift in position on the enduring Israel-Palestine conflict this week has, according to a sulphurous Peter Dutton, fractured the nation’s emphatically pro-Israel stance. Worse still, the opposition leader […]
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