Michael Danby being interviewed

Labor MP takes out full-page ad to reassure Jewish voters

Victorian Labor MP Michael Danby has sought to reassure the Jewish community his divided party still supports Israel by taking out a full-page, taxpayer-funded colour advertisement in the Australian Jewish News.

The advertisement was published yesterday after the NSW branch of the Labor Party passed a motion last month urging “unconditional­” recognition of Palestine by the next federal ALP government.

The move was seen as a win by pro-Palestine former NSW premier Bob Carr, but Jewish leaders have downplayed the significance of the change to Labor’s longstanding position, highlighting the inclusion of a paragraph saying the NSW ALP “supports the recognition and right of Israel and Palestine to exist within sec­ure and recognised borders”.

The Australian can reveal that the advertisement follows a meeting between Bill Shorten and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies in the lead-up to last month’s conference during which he sought to reassure them that the Labor Party still supported Israel.

 

Read the full article by Rachel Baxendale at The Australian (subscription only).