New Green stands by boycott

JAMIE Parker may have narrowly won Balmain, but he faces a new battle defending the NSW Greens’ support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel in light of its rejection by Greens leader Bob Brown.

Parker has also been busy fending off claims that remarks he made in an interview posted on the website New Matilda were anti-Semitic.

The new Greens MP told Sky News on Monday he stood by the NSW Greens policy of supporting the BDS campaign. He also refuted claims of anti-Semitism arising from the New Matilda interview, where he was quoted as saying in response to extreme actions against The Greens, “these Jews provide cover for extreme actions if they occur. If there’s a sniff of you being critical of Israel, such Jews will attack you and cut you loose.

“I have a fantastic working relationship with the local [Inner West] Chavurah in my community,” he said. “I’ve worked with the Jewish Board of Deputies on a range of issues.”

Parker has been involved in a joint peace-building project with both Jews and Palestinians in the Leichhardt Council, where he served as mayor for more than two years.

Meanwhile, the Greens leader distanced himself from comments by Greens senator-elect Lee Rhiannon that the party should have campaigned more strongly for an Israel boycott.

“It was a mistake. I differ with Lee on that, and so do the other components of the NSW Greens, who handled so badly that part of the campaign against my advice,” he said last Friday.

Brown reiterated his stance on Monday on the ABC’s Lateline.

“I’m the spokesperson for the national Greens on foreign affairs. I know where my party room stand on that. They’re not going to promote this policy,” he said.

On Melbourne’s ABC radio last Friday, Opposition frontbencher Andrew Robb observed the spread of hatred towards Israel.

“The boycott is being driven, in my view, by strong anti-Israel views that are starting to emerge in parts of the community,” Robb said.

His parliamentary colleague, Malcolm Turnbull agreed.

“It’s designed to be part of a campaign of denigration and isolation of Israel, to weaken its resolve and to chip away at its security as a Jewish state,” he said.

Turnbull accused The Greens of anti-Semitism. “The Greens’ objection to Israel is that it is a Jewish state. They object to its quality, its character, its identity. In that sense, it is – by objecting to its Jewishness – anti-Jewish and therefore anti-Semitic.”

GARETH NARUNSKY