NSW Labor ‘urges next Labor govt to recognise Palestine’
NSW Labor has passed a motion that “urges the next Labor Government to recognise Palestine”. The move is a big shift for Labor, but is not enforceable at the Federal level and communal leaders have told The AJN that changes to the original motion are an important signal for the future.
Joshua Levi
NSW Labor has passed a motion that “urges the next Labor Government to recognise Palestine”.
But in the final comments before the motion was passed, Labor’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael Forshaw said, “There are two facts I would like to mention. 100 per cent of Hamas do not support the State of Israel. There are still 48 countries around the world that refuse to recognise Israel.”
The move is a big shift for Labor, but is not enforceable at the Federal level and communal leaders have told The AJN that changes to the original motion are an important signal for the future.
After weeks of negotiations, an extra line was added to the resolution that notes Labor “supports the recognition and right of Israel and Palestine to exist within secure and recognised borders”.
Former NSW Premier Bob Carr has claimed it as a victory because there are no conditions for Palestinian recognition.
“The two-state solution is in danger,” Carr said referring to current Israeli government’s settlement policies.
He said the addition of the line referring to Israel’s borders are consist with his long-held policies.
“There is no argument that both sides need secure borders.
“I have always said that the big questions have to be settled by negotiations – that being borders and the right of return.”
But leaders of the Jewish community see the motion as a compromise, because the original motion didn’t mention Israel’s right to exist within secure boarders.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff said the resolution is a better outcome than what was first put to the conference.
“This is certainly a better outcome than what was originally proposed in the conference booklet, and we applaud the efforts by many within the Labor Party who worked hard over a long period of time to achieve a more balanced resolution,” Alhadeff said.
On Sunday morning, Labor’s Federal Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen said that the conference motion reflected the frustration of the grass roots of the Labor Party.
“We’ve long supported a two-state solution. We still support a two-state solution,” Bowen said.
“We support strong and secure borders for both of those states. But I think the party is expressing some frustration that it is taking so long to get there so you’re seeing that urging of more progress towards recognition of the Palestinian state.
“And of course, it will be in the context of Labor’s long-held view of supporting a two-state solution with strong and secure borders for both of those states.”
When asked if there was a “real prospect if Labor were to be elected in the next year or two, that the government would move to immediately recognise Palestine”, Bowen said “no”.
He then clarified and said, “It is up to the incoming Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to consider what process they would put around Australia’s position on a two-state solution and the moves towards Palestinian recognition and how they would progress that through international forums.”
Bowen said the Labor Party is encouraging all sides to do more to move towards a two state solution.
“A strong and secure Palestine and a strong and secure Israel living peacefully side by side.”
The NSW Labor Israel Action Committee (LIAC) vowed to continue to oppose Carr’s push against Israel “after successfully forcing him to recognise Israel’s right to exist within secure and recognised borders”.
LIAC said it would “continue to strongly advocate for a more balanced position on Israel and pledged to continue to challenge Mr Carr who has conducted what some have described as ‘obsessive campaign’ for the last three years”.
LIAC patron and NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel deputy chair Walt Secord said he and his group has worked hard to find a balanced and sensible position on Israel.
“This was a tough battle and involved hours of internal debate and discussion, but it was important to restore balance and to fight for a two-State solution and Israel’s right to exist within safe and secure borders,” Secord told The AJN.
“No one should forget that the original motion was deeply offensive to those who want a just and peaceful settlement; the Labor Israel Action Committee could not allow the unamended motion to go ahead unchecked and unfettered.”
“The Labor Israel Action Committee was re-assured by the support from the Israeli Labor Party, Jewish community, the union movement and rank-and-file Labor members, who wanted to see a peaceful resolution to the Middle East conflict, but also wanted to see an appropriate recognition of Israel.”
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