Pollies praise Israel
THREE Liberal members of federal Parliament shared their experiences of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council’s (AIJAC) Rambam Israel Fellowship Program – from which they recently returned – at a luncheon briefing on Friday.
THREE Liberal members of federal Parliament shared their experiences of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council’s (AIJAC) Rambam Israel Fellowship Program – from which they recently returned – at a luncheon briefing on Friday.
Member for Bennelong (NSW) John Alexander, Member for Hughes (NSW) Craig Kelly, and Member for Longman (Queensland) Wyatt Roy spoke openly about their impressions of Israel following their visit from April 26 to May 1.
Kelly told the gathering in Sydney’s CBD that visiting Israel was always something that had been on his bucket list. “Before I went, I thought I had a reasonable understanding of the situation. But until you actually get there on the ground … you really don’t have an appreciation for the issues,” he said.
Especially poignant for Kelly was the delegation’s visit to a school in Sderot, complete with protective shelters where the children seek refuge when the sirens sound. “I can’t help but think what it would be like as a young child to grow up in that environment, where you know people are actually firing rockets into your township,” he said.
He also drew attention to Israel’s “entrepreneurial culture” as something Australians can learn from.
“I think because Israel is such a small place in the world … If you come up with a business idea or innovation, you’re looking at ‘how can I actually market my idea to the world or to the globe?’”
Alexander echoed his colleague’s sentiments, stressing “the innovation, the brain power, and the cutting-edge technology” which exists in Israel.
He said that while other countries, including Australia, are lucky to have natural resources at their disposal, the asset of Israel is its people. “[It’s] their ingenuity, their absolute will to overcome adversity,” he enthused.
Roy, the youngest member of Parliament, spoke of a “life-changing experience”.
He said one aspect of the trip that particularly affected him was visiting a hospital in the north of Israel which treats casualties from the Syrian conflict.
“To meet blokes who are my age who are missing three or four limbs … I think gives you an emotive connection to the issue, that you simply could not get anywhere else.”
PHOEBE ROTH
From left: Craig Kelly MP, Wyatt Roy MP, Israeli president-elect Reuven Rivlin, Senator Anne Ruston, Ken Wyatt MP, John Alexander MP and Senator Zed Seselja.
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