Australian friendship valued
High-ranking MK Tzachi Hanegbi said his current tour of Australia – and Benjamin Netanyahu’s in February – will further strengthen Australia-Israel ties.
HIGH-RANKING MK Tzachi Hanegbi said his current tour of Australia – and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s forthcoming visit in February – are part of ongoing efforts to further strengthen Australia-Israel relations.
Speaking to The AJN, Hanegbi, who served as deputy minister of foreign affairs and in May was appointed as Minister without Portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Office, described Australia as “one of the three major and most intimate friends of Israel”.
“We have a lot to contribute to each other and also to have a strategic dialogue concerning the various challenges of both countries.
“When I met [Australian ambassador to Israel] Dave Sharma two days before my trip from Israel, we both shared our mutual satisfaction for the way things are developing.
“But there’s still so much potential.”
Hanegbi said turmoil in the Middle East has heightened the value of expanding Israel’s regional diplomatic horizons.
“Libya has disintegrated, Iraq suffers from chaos, Syria is practically evaporating as a sovereign state, and we’ve seen Daesh, or Islamic State, biting into crucial parts of Iraq and Syria.
“In this ocean of turmoil, there is one island of sanity, of stability – Israel.
“Israel can contribute to the Sunni states that want to -stabilise – that want to stand against all those waves of terror, fanaticism and radical Islam. Because these are the same challenges that all of us face.”
Turning to Donald Trump’s US election win, Hanegbi emphasised the strength of the US-Israel alliance.
“It is no secret that we have had disputes with the Obama administration, mainly about the way to relate to the Iranian nuclear program,” he said.
“We hope to be more harmonious with the new administration, to be able to join forces in presenting the negative ramifications of that Iranian deal.”
Asked about discussions in Israel for a possible Diaspora Day holiday, Hanegbi said, “I’m sure the Israeli public would love to be part of such an initiative, because every Israeli has relatives in the Diaspora.
“So it is very important for us to strengthen this bond, and to make sure … that connection stays strong and eternal.”
Hanegbi was guest speaker at a Betar and Friends of Likud Australia (FOLA) event in Melbourne last week and will speak at an event at Sydney’s Central Synagogue today (Thursday), organised by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and FOLA.
In Canberra, he had meetings with Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Shadow Foreign Minister Penny Wong. He described Bishop as “a very good friend of Israel and a strong ally of Israel’s cause”.
SHANE DESIATNIK
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