Just 10 weeks ago at the NSW Labor Conference, out of 45 foreign policy motions put forward for debate, a staggering 28 related to Israel, not one of them positive.
While none mentioned Palestinian violence, a number condemned violence carried out by Israelis. And while none mentioned intransigence or incitement on the Palestinian side, Israel was accused of sabotaging peace talks and enforcing “apartheid policies”.
Thankfully, a far more measured motion was eventually passed, with more moderate members of the party holding sway over, what one prominent Labor MP described as, “unjustifiably critical” resolutions put forward by “a number of Labor branches”.
However, we know only too well that anti-Israel activists within the ALP aren’t confined to the local branch level. Former foreign minister Bob Carr, alongside MPs Tony Burke and Melissa Parke, don’t usually miss an opportunity to lash out at the Jewish State, with Carr equally condemnatory of those who campaign for Israel on these shores.
And, lest we forget, when the federal Labor Party passed a resolution on Israel last year, aspects of it were described by communal leaders variously as “deeply disturbing”, “pernicious”, “unhelpful”, “problematic” and “blatantly one-sided”.
Editorial Opinion in the Australian Jewish News