Heat on ALP as Jewish leaders demand clarity

Bill Shorten is under renewed pressure to haul anti-Israel Labor MPs into line.

Bill Shorten is under renewed pressure to haul anti-Israel Labor MPs into line as an outbreak of pro-Palestinian sentiment within the opposition threatens to disrupt his election campaign.

West Australian Labor MPs Josh Wilson and Sue Lines were revealed to have attacked Israeli security forces and Australia’s own Jewish lobby at Labor Party events in recent months, days after Curtin candidate Melissa Parke quit over similar anti-Israel criticisms.

Jewish leaders yesterday called on the Opposition Leader to ­enforce his support for Israel and stop a tide of pro-Palestinian support within Labor that has been bubbling in recent years.

Labor’s internal debate over ­Israel has divided the party for decades. Deputy leader Tanya Plibersek, a senior left-wing powerbroker, previously described ­Israel as “a rogue state”.

Visiting the Liberal-held marginal outer-Melbourne seat of La Trobe yesterday, Mr Shorten said Mr Wilson and Senator Lines had “reconfirmed” their support for his backing of Israel.

“For the sake of clarity, the ­Israeli ambassador representing the Australian government said they could work with both sides of politics,’’ Mr Shorten said.

“Labor Party policy is very clear, and all my candidates have signed up … we support a two-state solution and the aspirations of the Palestinian people for statehood.’’

Ms Parke, a former Rudd government minister, stood aside from contesting former foreign minister Julie Bishop’s seat last week after saying Israel’s treatment of Palestinians was “worse than apartheid”.

The situation was inflamed when it was revealed Senator Lines told a West Australian Labor Friends of Palestine event in March the “Israeli lobby” was slowing progress in the party ­towards formally recognising ­Palestine.

Mr Wilson told a fringe event at the ALP national conference last December that Israeli checkpoints were places where Palestinians “go and they die”.

Both WA MPs were unavailable for comment yesterday.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Mark Sofer, said he would work with both major parties after initially attacking the West Australian Labor duo, but Jewish leaders continued to target them yesterday.

Zionist Federation president Jeremy Liebler said: “Good on Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen for swiftly clarifying that Ms Parke’s views are inconsistent with Labor’s approach to Israel, and I’m confident the party leadership will issue a similar response to Josh Wilson and Sue Lines.

“The suggestion by Senator Lines that there is something improper about the Jewish community having a dialogue with the Labor Party is deeply troubling ­because it questions the democratic rights of a specific group of Australian citizens.’’

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich said: “Mr Wilson should reflect that his misguided comments unfairly ­maligning Israel. Rather than promoting dialogue and reconciliation (they) will only fuel division between communities.”

Palestine has been a thorny issue for Mr Shorten throughout his leadership, and he has stopped attempts to have an immediate formal recognition of Palestine made federal Labor policy at two national ALP conferences. Multiple state Labor conferences have backed recognising Palestine.

In 2002 Ms Plibersek labelled Israel “a rogue state” and the country’s then prime minister Ariel Sharon “a war criminal” in parliament.

Ms Plibersek apologised for those statements and said in 2011 she had “spoken injudiciously”.

Jewish leaders said yesterday Ms Plibersek had made a conscious effort to repair relations with the Jewish community and had “changed her mind”.