Realism on the future of Gaza must prevail

Credit where it’s due. Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has made an important contribution to Labor’s internal debate over the future of Israel and Gaza. At the Beth Israel synagogue at St Kilda on Thursday night, Mr Andrews said he did not support recognition of a Palestinian state at this time: “That is not to say that recognition of a Palestinian state is something that should never occur.” His comments coincided with NSW Labor president and federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland taking a sound, principled stand on the Israel-Hamas war. Labor should not form its position on the conflict or a Palestinian state based on fears that a pro-Palestine voter backlash could sweep away senior government MPs.

The Weekend Australian favours an eventual two-state solution to secure peace in that troubled quarter of the Middle East. It would have been achieved decades ago had the Palestinian Authority accepted generous terms offered by several Israeli prime ministers – Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert. They offered a Palestinian state in all of Gaza, almost all of the West Bank, compensating territory from Israel proper and a capital in east Jerusalem. Such offers have been met with terrorism, with any Palestinian leader who made such a peace likely to be killed by extremists. While Hamas, and through it Iran, retains an iron grip on Palestine, a two-state solution remains untenable. The weakness of the PA, the lack of borders that would need to be negotiated with Israel and other essential prerequisites for statehood are also big stumbling blocks. To the detriment of Palestinians, the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel last year set such a prospect back years. As Mr Andrews said: “You can only have peace if you have a partner in this … there is an actively hostile opponent who some people tend to try and convince themselves will, only if there is a recognition, suddenly (they will) become an active partner in a peaceful outcome for the region, the children, for Jews, Palestinians, for everybody. That, of course, is nonsense. That makes no sense to me whatsoever.”

His intervention as a member of Labor’s Left underlined deep divisions within the party. Peter Moss, a member of Labor Friends of Palestine, said Mr Andrews was “out of step” with the party’s national policy. “He’s out on an extreme limb,” Mr Moss said. “(Recognition) is the minimum that Australia could do. It’s party policy, it’s overwhelmingly supported by members, and I don’t think Daniel Andrews in any way represents the views of any significant part of the Labor Party.” But Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan backed her predecessor’s stance. The peace process was “some way off” and Hamas should not play a role in negotiations, she said. Given Hamas’s brutality on October 7 and its consistent cruelty to Palestinians, its exclusion when the time comes will be essential.

In May, the Albanese government backed future Palestinian UN membership, a vote at odds with our allies. The US and Israel opposed the motion in the UN General Assembly, and Britain and Canada abstained. As Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns said at the time, Australia’s vote would further isolate Jewish Australians facing anti-Semitism in the wake of the Gaza war.

As Ms Rowland stated ahead of Labor’s NSW conference, the party needs to look past electoral pressures and make decisions in the national interest. The party faces challenges from Muslim independents in western Sydney seats with high proportions of Muslim voters. These include Blaxland, held by Education Minister Jason Clare, Watson (Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke) and McMahon (Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen). But national interest must come first. And it is in Australia’s interest to support Israel, a loyal ally and a vital bulwark against Islamist extremism, backed by Iran, in the Middle East, where Israel is the only functioning democracy.

The issue is challenging centre-left politicians around the world. US Vice-President Kamala Harris, while backing Israel’s right to defend itself, is urging a ceasefire, telling “everyone who yearns for peace, I see you and I hear you”. But for good reason Israel recognises that peace without crushing Hamas is impossible. In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose Labour Party lost four seats to pro-Palestinian activists in the recent election, reportedly will drop British objections to an International Criminal Court prosecutor’s absurd bid for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes. That move would open a deep rift between Britain and Israel. Centre-left parties, including Labor, need to grasp the realities of Israel’s dire security challenges. Mr Andrews and Ms Rowland have done well bringing realism to the debate.