Israel vital to Australia, says defence minister

[Kiwi]

Israel vital to Australia, says defence minister

NAOMI LEVIN

THERE is a direct link between security in the Middle East and Australia’s security situation, according to Defence Minister Dr Brendan Nelson.

He described the situation in Israel as vital to Australia.

“No longer can we accept the fact that this has nothing to do with us, it has everything to do with us,” Dr Nelson told the State Zionist Council of Victoria’s Annual Assembly last week.

Dr Nelson, the member for Bradfield – an electorate in Sydney’s north with a 4500-strong Jewish population – and a strong supporter of Israel, told the assembly that despite being located so far from Israel, the tiny Jewish country is vital to Australia’s security interests.

He told the audience that Israel’s survival and growth was important and that it would be “a bulwark against the kind of madness that is being promoted by Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the ambitions of the Iranians”. He also said he hoped the upcoming peace talks between Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would be fruitful.

During his speech, Dr Nelson said that in the most recent Defence Department analysis, the Middle East had been deemed “critical to Australia’s security”. He gave a variety of reasons for this: there were significant natural resources in the region major countries, including Russia and China, have interests in the area and there is a threat of weapons proliferation.

To this end, he outlined a case against the current regime in Iran, citing its support for terrorist organisations, Hamas and Hezbollah Ahmadinejad’s call to wipe Israel off the map the country’s “nuclear aspirations” and its sponsorship of terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While he stopped well clear of calling for any type of decisive action against Iran, he did emphasise that Australia makes “no apology for building up our defence, intelligence and policing capabilities”.

He also said that if Australia were to withdraw or reduce the number of soldiers in Iraq, it would send the wrong message to those we are at war with.

“Sometimes people think we should wait until that, which we most fear, actually happens before we do something about it,” Dr Nelson said.

Speaking to The AJN after his speech, Dr Nelson hesitated when asked to elaborate on the terrorist threat faced by the local Jewish community.

“I often say to Australians, we will be at our best if we do not allow these people to fundamentally reshape our lives,” he explained.

“Yes we have got to understand it [terrorism], we’ve got to be prepared to deal with it ... but we must not allow ourselves to crouch in fear.”

http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=4401

[newman]

The Howard government officially favours the Two State nightmare but I believe it is just typical Howard parroting of Bush. I'd bet that most conservative AND Labor politicians would concede privately that they consider Land-for-Peace a disaster.

[AussieJTFer]

Labor favour a two state solution with a return of the "refugees", they have some hateful anti-Jewish creatures in that party like Julia Irwin and Tania Plibersek.

[newman]

Labor favour a two state solution with a return of the "refugees", they have some hateful anti-Jewish creatures in that party like Julia Irwin and Tania Plibersek.

In fairness to the ALP, they have traditionally been pro-Israel unlike the British Labor Party. Hawk was more pro-Israel than Carter, Clinton or Bush.

[AussieJTFer]

Labor favour a two state solution with a return of the "refugees", they have some hateful anti-Jewish creatures in that party like Julia Irwin and Tania Plibersek.

In fairness to the ALP, they have traditionally been pro-Israel unlike the British Labor Party. Hawk was more pro-Israel than Carter, Clinton or Bush.

That's true but today they are more left than back in the 80s when Hawke was in power. We're lucky here in that our two major parties are pro-Israel.

[newman]

Labor favour a two state solution with a return of the "refugees", they have some hateful anti-Jewish creatures in that party like Julia Irwin and Tania Plibersek.

In fairness to the ALP, they have traditionally been pro-Israel unlike the British Labor Party. Hawk was more pro-Israel than Carter, Clinton or Bush.

That's true but today they are more left than back in the 80s when Hawke was in power. We're lucky here in that our two major parties are pro-Israel.

I'll say we're lucky. Bad things happen to anti-Israel nations. Look at what will happen in europe in the next 10-20 years. At least we have a bit of backbone. Even the ALP knows that sucking up to the muSSlims to scrounge a few ethnic votes will just piss-off 10 times as many other voters as what they gain. Rudd seems very unimpressed by muSSlims.

 I think Australia only voted against Israel once in all od Israel's history. It was over the security fence and that's only because the Americans told our government to.

[AussieJTFer]

I think you're mistaken, Australia was the only country along with the US, The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau that voted against the UN demanding the destruction of the security fence.
Israelis realise that Australia is by enlarge one of the true friends they have.

That ugly greens whore kerry nettle said that Australia's stance was an "embarassment" to the country. Any member of the greens should be shot as they are traitors not only to this country but to humanity.

[newman]

I think you're mistaken, Australia was the only country along with the US, The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau that voted against the UN demanding the destruction of the security fence.
Israelis realise that Australia is by enlarge one of the true friends they have.

I know we voted against them once over something relatively minor at the behest of the US. But you're right. We are one of Israel's true friends. G_D help us if we're not. A billion odd muSSlim nazis to our north and 1.2 billion communists further north, now is not the time to annoy G_d by cursing Israel.

BTW, read about the park to commemorate Aussie soldiers they're building in the negev?

[AussieJTFer]

Nah I didn't know about the park but I know there is a memorial and small museum that a local man in Beer Sheba runs for the Aussies that fought there in WW1. My grandfather as a small boy remembers the Aussies in Eretz Yisrael, I wish the rest of the world was as moral when it comes to Israel as Australia and the small Pacific nations are.

[serbian army]

Nah I didn't know about the park but I know there is a memorial and small museum that a local man in Beer Sheba runs for the Aussies that fought there in WW1. My grandfather as a small boy remembers the Aussies in Eretz Yisrael, I wish the rest of the world was as moral when it comes to Israel as Australia and the small Pacific nations are.

Serbia is with you too

[JTFFan]

Labor favour a two state solution with a return of the "refugees", they have some hateful anti-Jewish creatures in that party like Julia Irwin and Tania Plibersek.

In fairness to the ALP, they have traditionally been pro-Israel unlike the British Labor Party. Hawk was more pro-Israel than Carter, Clinton or Bush.

That's true but today they are more left than back in the 80s when Hawke was in power. We're lucky here in that our two major parties are pro-Israel.

You're absolutely right.