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).