I never thought I would be glad to see Australia out of the Security Council but under this government that day has finally arrived. One of the last acts of this nation's membership of the body was to vote against a resolution that sought to put a timetable for a two state solution in the Middle East. In doing so we joined the perennial veto-er, the US in shooting down this latest attempt by the Palestinian people to unilaterally seek support from the rest of the world community to put pressure on Israel.

And what was the Israeli take?

“The attack is now coming on Israel from the Palestinian Authority seeking to impose on us a diktat that would undermine Israel’s security, put its future in peril,”

All the other nations in the Security Council either abstained or voted in favour of the resolution, the draft of which can be found here;

http://mondoweiss.net/2014/12/resolution-jerusalem-palestinian

Even the UK which was one of those countries abstaining made their position clear through their ambassador.

“We consider president Abbas a man of peace and understand the pressure that the Palestinian leadership has been under to act and their frustration with the lack of progress,”

While I can in some ways understand the vote by the US which has been a determined supporter of Israel and its actions even when those actions have been condemned by the rest of the world community. The US has historically used its veto to protect Israel from censure in the UN. It also has a large Jewish and pro-israel constituency that its leaders need to heed. But Australia is different and has in the past rightly recognised the injustices that have been inflicted on the Palestinian people. It has either supported or at worst abstained on UN resolutions aimed at Israel.

To back the US in this latest vote was a sycophantic act from a government determined to be in lockstep with the US.

Surely we are better than that.

Shame Australia shame!

Dear SteeleRedux,

Australia's consecutive governments have always
supported Israel and the Zionist lobby is extremely
strong in this country hence it is not surprising
that Australia would back Israel.
Not surprising at all - but very, very, disappointing.
And as you say - "Shame, Australia, Shame!"

Dear SteeleRedux,

We should also remember that Australia's Foreign Minister
Julie Bishop absolutely refused to refer to occupied
East Jerusalem and she made it quite clear that she would
not ask Israel to cease - "all Israeli settlements."
Thus supporting the shameless stealing of Palestinian
land.

Australian Attorney General George Brandis, speaking in
Parliament said that the administration does not consider the
eastern section of Israel's capital city to be "occupied."

So how can we expect these people to act any differently.
We can hope - but their past record does not give us much
hope.

Perhaps it is high time that the government should recognise
that Australia's trade with the Middle East accounts for
billions of dollars annually.

Now that is something they would understand.

An easy, simple, well meaning compromise for me would've been the signing of an agreement where Israel stops settlement activity.

This will give both sides some space to sit down and force them to start negotiating PROPERLY.

Israel act thuggish, determined and non-compromising.
If Israel says that it won't have outside influence dictate when or how it should negotiate peace then it should at least be put on a leash.

Without any restrictions on settlement building, there's no reason why Palestinians should stop fighting and conveyed to the world as terrorists by western media - playing into Israel's hands, nor any reason why Israel should sit down and negotiate properly because its already slowly getting what it wants unrestricted now. Its not hard to figure out.

This issue highlights to me the black-spots where democracy is just an illusion.
I know there would be a lot of people in this country who are supportive of Israel.
But I'm sure there are also plenty of people that do not support the way Israel treats the Palestinians.
Where is our balanced voice?
It doesn't matter who we vote in.
Both main parties support Israel so there is no opposition.
Not surprising I guess when you look at an aerial view of our capital city.

Dear Foxy,

I also remember very clearly Julie Bishop on Insiders stating those who believe in sanctions against Israel for the slaughter of so many civilians in the latest conflict were “anti-Semitic”.

I for one believe in sanctions as a non violent way of putting pressure on Israel. For my own foreign minister to label me in such a fashion was unconscionable.

The only other major country that will often side with the US in backing Israel is the right wing government of Canada.

In a recent vote this year the UN passed a resolution that Israel should pay compensation to Lebanon for a massive oil slick that coated the entire coast of that country. It was caused by Israeli operations against Hezbollah.

“General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but they do reflect world opinion. The assembly voted 170-6 in favour, with three abstentions. Israel, the US, Canada, Australia, Micronesia and Marshall Islands voted "no".”

Why are we doing this? Surely what the right thing to do was obvious but Abbott and Bishop chose instead to put Australia at loggerheads with world opinion purely for ideology and political expediency.

They really are debasing the Australian notion of sticking up for the underdog. Instead we seemed determined to become a simpering, fawning cowardly country peering out from behind the US.

What these two have done to corrode Australia's standing in the world community should have them tried for treason.

You all seem to have it A over T.
It is the Palestinians who are the occupiers.

The Arabs invaded the area and the Koran tells them that land once
occupied by Moslems is always Moslem from then on.

Because they have been ejected a few times over centuries does not
mean they 'own' the land as the Jews "owned" it long before that.
Maybe the Canaanites have a claim if they still exist.