Daniel Andrews has issued a staunch defence of Israel’s sovereignty, voicing his opposition to his own faction’s motion on Palestinian recognition, which passed without dissent at Labor’s Victorian conference on Sunday.
Recommitting to comments he made three weeks ago that the Jewish homeland represented the “only true democracy” in the Middle East, the Victorian Premier indicated he would oppose any motion regarding the recognition of Palestine at the national ALP conference due to be held in August.
Sunday’s motion called on the Albanese government to recognise a Palestinian state before the next election, setting the stage for the matter to become a focal point at the national conference in Brisbane.
The proposal, moved by Mr Andrews’ Socialist Left faction, passed on voices after the Right opted to avoid a public debate over a vote they didn’t have the numbers to win.
It follows comments Mr Andrews made on May 30 at Victorian parliament’s celebration of the 75 anniversary of Israel’s independence, at which he described the country as “a beacon of democratic freedom, the only true democracy in the region, one might argue.”
Asked about those comments on Tuesday, Mr Andrews said Israel was indeed, “the only place in the region with a pride march, the only place in the region where women are treated equally … I can go on and on.”
Read the article by Rachel Baxendale in The Australian.