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Des Houghton: Labor’s Palestine stance hurting our nation

I was ashamed to be an Australian when I heard Penny Wong advocating for Palestine in the United Nations, writes Des Houghton. Her call for Australia to recognise Palestine as a state was an affront to all of us.

Australia’s aid to Gaza mounts to $82 million

I was ashamed to be an Australian when I heard Penny Wong advocating for Palestine in the United Nations.

Her call for Australia to recognise Palestine as a state was an affront to all of us, not only Jews. Her words can only help legitimatize the terrorists who run the place and who have vowed to “wipe Israel off the map”, two-state solution or not.

Our Foreign Minister’s moral posturing and her sonorous tone nearly made me puke.

My faith was restored somewhat when I heard the response from Peter Dutton. The alternative prime minister has the gift of summing up complex situations in a few sentences.

Dutton is playing a blinder in the Opposition captain’s jersey. He has made Prime Minister Anthony Albanese look weak and indecisive – and he is. Dutton is right when he says Australians should not accept the glorification of terrorist organisations.

Like most Australians he wants tough action against Hezbollah flag bearers at pro-Palestine rallies who celebrate the October 7 atrocities.

Thanks to Wong, and the mealy-mouthed responses from the PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles, the Labor government has succeeded in fostering the anti-Sematic sentiment on show at protest rallies.

David Littleproud, the leader of The Nationals and the Shadow Minister for Agriculture spoke well on Sky News when he condemned the radicalisation of fringe elements of Australian society who grab onto any cause.

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP)
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP)

Albanese’s “appeasement path”, as Dutton described it, is hurting Australia’s global standing and is at odds with our most important allies, Great Britain and the United States.

Albanese half-heartedly reaffirmed his support for Israel, but only after Dutton shamed him into it.

We all know State Labor is in its death throes.

History shows that Queensland is the rock on which many federal political aspirations are dashed.

With Dutton at the helm and a weak leader as our PM, I don’t think Labor has a hope in hell of winning the next federal election.

Des Houghton
Des HoughtonSky News Australia Wine & Travel Editor

Award-winning journalist Des Houghton has had a distinguished career in Australian and UK media. From breaking major stories to editing Queensland’s premier newspapers The Sunday Mail and The Courier-Mail, and news-editing the Daily Sun and the Gold Coast Bulletin, Des has been at the forefront of newsgathering for decades. In that time he has edited news and sport and opinion pages to crime, features, arts, business and travel and lifestyle sections. He has written everything from restaurant reviews to political commentary.

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/des-houghton/des-houghton-labors-palestine-stance-hurting-our-nation/news-story/c8f9601fa31a2804555fbcc32157d527