Fury at Lee Rhiannon talk to Palestine forum

GREENS senator-elect Lee Rhiannon has again been accused of pushing an anti-Israel agenda.

GREENS senator-elect Lee Rhiannon has again been accused of pushing an anti-Israel agenda after accepting an invitation to speak at a "Palestine solidarity" conference, while the Senate yesterday condemned the Greens' support of a boycott against the Jewish state.

Opposition senator Eric Abetz successfully moved a motion raising concerns about the Greens, Labor and union support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel after Marrickville council's brief adoption of the policy. "The Senate condemned those in the Labor Party, the Greens and unions who are supporting the BDS campaign against Israel," Senator Abetz said.

The motion led to some fiery discussion, and Greens leader Bob Brown called on the Senate to spend an entire day debating the violence in the Middle East and finding ways to help people in the region.

Ms Rhiannon's invitation to a two-day conference at the University of Technology Sydney, organised by the Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine, is promoted as a forum for discussing "how to make Australian solidarity with Palestinian self-determination more effective".

"Now that campaigns to isolate Israel are front-page news, the conference is designed to re-focus on the core rights of Palestinians: national freedom, equality, democracy, land, peace and the end of exile of the refugees," said one of the event's co-ordinators, Ken Davis.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff slammed Ms Rhiannon's involvement with the forum, which he described as "an activist conference lacking any hint of balance or academic integrity on a divisive and complex issue".

Ms Rhiannon, who will take up her Senate spot when the Greens gain the balance of power on July 1, earned a rebuke from Senator Brown last month over her support for the campaign to boycott Israel.

Senator Brown had previously stated support for the BDS was not the policy position of the federal Greens, distancing himself from his soon-to-be federal colleague.

Ms Rhiannon and Senator Brown did not return calls from The Australian last night.