Australia Throws Israel Under The Bus

Update:

A Day of Shame For Australia.

Not voting in line with our American and Israeli friends, not standing against Islamist murderers and terrorists is a disgrace for Australia. To sit on the fence as abstainers, when these Islamist terror gangs push for the same recognition at the UN as the Vatican, is utterly shameful for Australian Labor and Australia as a nation. From this day forward we will have lost our claim to stand for what is right and just.

What a disgrace!

“Pathetically sad” said Malcolm Turnbull.

Former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans (diehard commie, globull worming disciple, Soros lackey, Jew-hater and agenda 21 advocate)  briefed Labor MPs on Monday, warning they would be on the wrong side of history if they stood with the US and Israel against the rest of the world…

Obviously, Gareth stands with the savage.

• Gillard rolled, and Hamas will celebrate  (Andrew Bolt)

Update:

The UN really, really wants to reward Hamas aggression

Back to Australia:

Julia Gillard has the right position, but could not afford to be rolled or to lose Bob Carr on an issue in which Kevin Rudd opposed her:

JULIA Gillard’s leadership came close to collapse yesterday after cabinet refused to back her policy to vote against a UN resolution tomorrow to give greater recognition to a Palestinian state.

After initially snubbing the majority view of her cabinet colleagues on Monday night, the Prime Minister was only convinced yesterday morning to back down when faced with the threat of ministers voting against her in caucus.

It is believed to be the first time since Bob Hawke pushed ahead with uranium mining at Coronation Hill in 1991 that a PM had defied recommendations from cabinet.

Cabinet sources confirmed the PM was forced into a desperate backdown during caucus yesterday after reported threats that Foreign Minister Bob Carr would vote against her if it was put to a vote on the floor – a precedent which would have forced his resignation.

The PM only warded off a caucus bloodbath by announcing a compromise position for Australia to abstain from the UN vote.

Vastly outnumbered:

Ten ministers representing both Labor factions spoke against the Prime Minister’s stated position in a long Cabinet debate; Tony Burke, Chris Bowen, Bob Carr, Simon Crean, Craig Emerson, Martin Ferguson, and Peter Garrett from the Right and Anthony Albanese, Mark Butler and Greg Combet from the Left.

Only two spoke in support of Gillard’s position; Stephen Conroy and Bill Shorten, both from the Right.

I’m not impressed by some of the reasons given for overturning Gillard’s decision – not principle but political advantage, with reference to majoritism and shifting demographics:

The former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans briefed Labor MPs on Monday, warning they would be on the wrong side of history if they stood with the US and Israel against the rest of the world…

The Right faction, which would usually support Ms Gillard, backed an abstention, in part due to the views of its members that the government was too pro-Israel, and also becausemany MPs in western Sydney, who are already fearful of losing their seats, are coming under pressure from constituents with a Middle East background.

That is a very troubling sign for our future. Further isolating the US and Israel internationally is already bad enough – and dangerous.

But here’s another of the real reasons to worry about giving Palestine added status at the UN: which is the Palestinian state? Gaza, controlled by the pro-terrorist Hamas? Or the Fatah-controlled West Bank under Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas?

Bloomberg puts the argument for more recognition:

In the past, we have opposed Abbas’s UN campaign as a pointless diversion from direct talks to settle the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. At this stage, however, it might well be worth letting Abbas score a political victory at the UN—particularly if it reinforces his viability among his own people.

The U.S. and Israel object to Abbas’s UN gambit on the grounds that it violates the notion that the Israelis and Palestinians should negotiate a settlement themselves with neither side taking steps to predetermine the outcome.

The danger, of course, is that benefits given to the “moderate” Abbas are later seized and exploited by Hamas, the cuckoo’s egg.

UPDATE

Mark Leibler, who unfortunately supports the restrictions on our freedom to speak that last year restricted my own, takes the chance to speak up for Israel while that, at least, is still legal:

Upgrading the Palestinian delegation’s status is not an innocuous technicality. As [Gareth] Evans himself admits, the true purpose of the move is to enable the Palestinians to launch a new campaign of diplomatic and legal attacks against Israel in various UN forums and elsewhere, particularly the International Criminal Court – and to do so as an alternative to direct negotiations with Israel…

Any fair-minded person would agree that the UN has a built-in bias against Israel, a country subject to more UN censure than every other country combined.

Julie Bishop shows the Liberals, at least, are not afraid to defend Israel:

Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop said the Coalition was disappointed by the government’s decision to abstain from voting on the issue…

“Our concern is that the drive for greater recognition at the UN is an attempt by Palestinian leaders to enable them to bring action against Israel through the international courts.”

The granting of observer status also risked conferring increased international status on the militant group, Hamas, which governed Gaza, Ms Bishop said.

Interesting intervention from Malcolm Turnbull:

Mr Turnbull said it was “pathetically sad” the government had gone to all the trouble to have a greater voice on the UN security council but would abstain from the general assembly vote on the issue.

“Its first significant vote since it won that seat on the security council is not to say yes or no but to say nothing, to sit mute, undecided, weak and helpless and impotent….”

Australia should have stuck to the previous policy to oppose any change to the status of the Palestinian territories in respect to the UN, Mr Turnbull said…

The previous policy should be adhered to while Hamas and Fatah were basically involved in a civil war, Mr Turnbull said.