Labor warned Australia backing Palestine at UN will not go down with Trump
The incoming Trump administration may look “unfavourably” on Australia’s move against Israel at a major UN vote, the Albanese government has been warned.
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The Albanese government has “sold out” Israel after switching votes on UN resolutions, putting Australia at odds with the US in a move a former Labor MP warns will be seen “unfavourably” by the incoming Trump Whitehouse.
As Labor’s vote shift was condemned, Israel hauled in Australia’s ambassador to reprimand him for the government’s decision not to grant a visa to former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar summoned Australian ambassador Ralph King and told him the Australian government’s decision was based on “baseless blood libels spread by the pro-Palestinian lobby in Australia”, the Times of Israel reported.
After Labor changed from an abstention to a “yes” on a United Nations vote calling for Israel to “bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible” and from “no” to an abstention on a controversial motion about pursuing a two-state solution on Wednesday, the Coalition said the government had “abandoned a key democratic ally in Israel”.
Jewish groups also condemned the move, as did former Labor MP and past foreign affairs and defence committee chair Michael Danby, who told News Corp in his view the Albanese Government’s position was about “politics not principle”.
“Israel and Australian Jews, together with most middle of the road Australians, will see this unfavourably as kowtowing to an element in Western Sydney prior to a federal election,” he said.
“These votes, like our low defence spending, will eventually be seen unfavourably by the new US administration”.
This week incoming President Donald Trump vowed to hit those responsible for kidnapping the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza “harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied history of the United States of America”.
Meanwhile, Peter Dutton said Labor had “sold out Israel for Greens votes”, accusing Anthony Albanese of having “completely abandoned the Jewish community”.
“There is a lot of anger, understandably, in the community at the moment at the way in which the government has sold out the Jewish community,” the Opposition Leader said.
“Why would the government, why would the Prime Minister, sacrifice his credibility and backflip on the commitment he gave? It’s for votes.
“The Albanese government is chasing Greens votes and they’ve been prepared to sacrifice the wellbeing of the Jewish community here in Australia to do so.”
A spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said as a “constructive middle power”, Australia approached UN resolutions to “try achieve the best outcomes we can”.
“We don’t always get everything we want,” she said.
“But if, on balance, we believe the resolution will contribute to peace and a two-state solution, we will vote for it.
“On our own, Australia has few ways to move the dial in the Middle East. Our only hope is working within the international community to push for an end to the cycle of violence and work toward a two-state solution.”
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said it was “perplexing and disappointing” the Albanese Government had refused to acknowledge the “undeniable reality” noted by US President Joe Biden that the UN had a “clear and persistent institutional bias” against Israel.
“The government’s decision to once again distance itself from the US, our closest ally, as well as its own longstanding positions – shared by the Rudd and Gillard governments – is deeply concerning,” he said.
“This shift reflects a foreign policy approach increasingly disconnected from both the reality on the ground and Australia’s broader national interests.”
Mr Leibler said the UN resolutions did not make reference to the hostages still held by Hamas.
“It is fundamentally contradictory to talk about peace without calling for the unconditional release of over 100 hostages who have been sitting in the dungeons of Gaza for more than 420 days,” he said.
“These resolutions won’t bring about peace, all they do is reward terrorism.”
Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) executive director Dr Colin Rubenstein said he was “deeply disappointed” in the government’s UN vote change.
“This is a resolution that puts many obligations on Israel but asks nothing of the Palestinians,” he said.
“It is woefully one-sided – which is why, for more than 20 years, Australian governments of all stripes have always voted no, or abstained.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said the vote shift made a “mockery” of Labor’s pre-election pledge to “never play domestic politics with Australia’s foreign relations”.
“This is a shameless pursuit of a domestic political agenda that puts Labor’s aspirations in vulnerable seats ahead of historic and principled support for a democratic ally,” he said.
“For some time now, this government has been chipping away at bipartisan support for Israel and a negotiated end to the conflict. After this latest significant shift, there is very little left.”
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Originally published as Labor warned Australia backing Palestine at UN will not go down with Trump
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