Carr talking close up
Bob Carr

WA Labor touts Palestinian state

WA Labor is poised to become the next branch of the party to formally recognise a Palestinian state, with the powerful Left faction signalling it will bring on a vote at the coming State conference.

The move threatens to inflame factional divisions inside WA Labor and cause headaches for Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

Senior figures inside the Left of WA Labor confirmed an intention to move a motion at next month’s conference — saying they had taken heart from a push by former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr to put pressure on Israel to restart peace talks by formally recognising Palestine. Should numbers in the majority Left hold, the motion would likely be carried by the WA party.

In a major shift in ALP policy, the powerful NSW Labor branch is about to extend unconditional recognition of a Palestinian state.

Read the full article by Nick Butterly at The West.