Tomorrow, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin an official visit to Australia. He will spend four days here, a considerable period for an Israeli leader to be away from home.
His will be a high-profile visit, shoring up the closeness between our two countries. Australia has been consistently one of Israel’s strongest supporters, and the current government was discomforted by former US President Obama’s refusal to veto a recent Security Council resolution condemning the latest round of settlements in the West Bank.
Several organisations and prominent citizens have argued against the visit, on the grounds that Israel is directly contravening international law with its policies in the territories it has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. They are urging parliamentarians not to attend any event at which Netanyahu speaks.
There is little doubt that the Israeli government is increasingly flouting international law and seeking permanent domination of the occupied Palestinian territories. Other than the Trump administration, which is strongly pro-Netanyahu, this view is shared by Australia’s allies such as Britain, Canada and the European Union.
There are strong arguments for Australia to recalibrate its position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and abandon its seemingly uncritical view of Israeli claims. The moral case for greater even-handedness is strong, but there is also a pragmatic argument that reflects Australia’s position as a middle power far distant from the conflict.
Unlike US President Donald Trump, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has reaffirmed Australia’s support for a two-state solution. But this stance seems increasingly hollow when Australia continues to oppose the majority of governments that recognise Palestine as a de facto state. The two-state solution seems difficult to attain, but it remains a more attractive option than a greater Israel in which increasing numbers of people are denied full citizenship.
Boycotting Netanyahu aims at influencing both Israeli and Australian policies. Certainly, it is a dramatic way of drawing attention to the unease many feel at the one-sided stance of the Australian government. It echoes the calls by some pro-Palestinian organisations for boycotts, divestment and sanctions [BDS] against Israel.
Read the full article by Dennis Altman at The Conversation.