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.”
“My position on Israel has been very, very consistent and clear. It’s not always popular, but it’s my view, and it won’t change,” the Premier said.
Asked whether his views were consistent with Sunday’s motion, Mr Andrews said: “Well I can only be consistent. What a state conference does in relation to these matters is a matter for the conference. They’re not binding resolutions. There’s a good deal of difference of opinion on this. My position is crystal clear.
“If I’d been there I wouldn’t have voted for it, but I wasn’t there.”
Mr Andrews distanced himself from factional politics, saying he had not attended a factional meeting since becoming Labor leader 13 years ago.
“My position on these matters is very, very clear. The Jewish community know it. The broader community knows it,” he said.
“Israel has every right to be safe and secure in well-defined borders, and if you want peace, you need a partner for peace. You need a partner, and without a partner, this is all just words, really. Words and tragedy.
“We all want something better for that region. Absolutely we do, but motions at state conference won’t get us there.
“National conference will have to deal with these issues. My position won’t change when we get to the national conference either.”
Mr Andrews’s views put him on a collision course with former foreign affairs Minister and NSW premier Bob Carr, who told The Australian on Sunday that the motion “was not a surprise”.
“It’s very important all supporters of [a] two state solution send the message to both sides and the best way for us to help make that happen is to join 138 nations which already recognise Palestine,” he said.
Australia, Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said: “The motion states that 138 other countries have recognised Palestine, but omits the crucial fact that Sweden is the only Western democracy to have done so, while most of the others did so in the context of the Cold War, when they did not recognise Israel.”
“There are very good reasons why none of our allies have taken this premature and destructive step, and if Labor genuinely cares about Middle East peace, it must emulate them.
“This counter-productive and frankly juvenile motion is phrased as rescuing the two-state solution, but in fact, resolutions such as this are setbacks to the peace process.
“The crucial fact, which this motion clearly ignores, is that the reason there is no peace is the intransigence of the Palestinian leadership, which has repeatedly rebuffed all efforts to achieve a two-state resolution.”
The Age (21/6/2023)