The executive director Liam Getreu of the New Israel Fund was on ABC News #TheWorld opposing annexation: “Supporting annexation is not a pro-Israel perspective, it is a pro-settler perspective. Supporting Israel means supporting a two-state solution, it means supporting an eventual Palestinian state, it means supporting Israeli democracy. The annexation that the prime minister is now planning undermines all of those things. A policy in support of Israel would oppose annexation.”
Liam Getreu Discussing Annexation on ABC News The World
Last night, our executive director Liam Getreu was on ABC News #TheWorld discussing annexation: “Supporting annexation is not a pro-Israel perspective, it is a pro-settler perspective. Supporting Israel means supporting a two-state solution, it means supporting an eventual Palestinian state, it means supporting Israeli democracy. The annexation that the prime minister is now planning undermines all of those things. A policy in support of Israel would oppose annexation."
Posted by New Israel Fund (Australia) on Wednesday, June 24, 2020
The New Israel Fund has jumped lock, stock and barrel on to the anti-annexation bandwagon, spreading unfounded fears that such a move which make Israel undemocratic. Not once does he express an ounce of concern about how the Palestinians behave; the whole onus is put on to Israel. Of course there is no surprise that a fringe organisation in the Australian Jewish community was invited by the biased ABC to speak on this subject.
Here are of the lies and misinformation Getreu was disseminating during this interview on the ABC:
0:50 Getreu pinned the wish to annex parts of Judea and Samaria on to the far-right settler movement. This shows how the NIF is aiming to label those who support any form of annexation as being from the far-right. This is a total misrepresentation of the support base of those who may support annexation and pure political nastiness by Getreu.
1:08 Getreu claims that annexation undermines any prospect for a two-state solution. Israel declaring sovereignty over just the major settlements, which are generally expected to always be part of Israel, would in no way endanger the on-going pipe dream of a two-state solution.
1:30 The assertion that the Palestinians were excluded from the development of the Trump plan is a lie. As soon as the Palestinians got wind of what the plan contained they have shunned it. It wasn’t to their liking so they complained rather than engaging in any kind of dialogue.
2:42 Getreu claims that the IDF as a whole opposes annexation – this statement is a lie.
4:20 Getreu blames Australia for being silent about the issue of annexation. Why should Australia, a friend of Israel come out to pile more inordinate pressure on Israel? No doubt Australia would have expressed its position privately to the Israeli government, but there is no real reason that Australia has to come and join the flock of naysayers just to satisfy the New Israel Fund and its cohorts.
5:09 “Supporting annexation is not a pro-Israel perspective”. Israel makes its own mind up on what is in its best interests; it doesn’t need an upstart like Getreu to be dictating what Israel should or should not be doing.
6:00 Getreu contends that if Israel declares sovereignty over certain parts of the West Bank that the Palestinians living there will have no rights. They might not end up being full citizens of Israel, but there any many other statuses they could have that would give them most of the privileges held by those who are full citizens. If a Palestinian state is ever created they would logically becomes citizens there. One day they might even become full citizens of Israel if they can demonstrate their bona fides by respecting the state of Israel as a Jewish state.