Dear Armchair Critic,

You wrote;

“It doesn't matter who we vote in. Both main parties support Israel so there is no opposition.”

That support is not quite equal. There are indeed differences in Australia's voting record at the UN over two particular resolutions that come up each year.

The first reaffirms the obvious, that the “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan” are illegal.

The second calls for a reaffirmation “that the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,2 is applicable to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967”.

Australia traditionally had done the right thing in recognising international law and voted in favour of both. That was until the Howard government started voting against the first and abstaining on the second.

Cont..

Cont..

In 2005 on a vote regarding the occupied territories this was the outcome;

For - Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria,
Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin,
Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei
Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African
Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti,
Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia,
Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia,
Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary,
Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic
of), Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan,
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon,
Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia,
Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius,
Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco,
Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger,
Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova,
Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino,
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro,
Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South
Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname,
Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic,
Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates,
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay,
Uzbekistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of),
Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against - Australia, Grenada, Israel, Marshall Islands,
Micronesia (Federated States of), Palau, United
States of America.

Yup there we were lumped in with a couple of tiny pacific nations dependent on the US largesse supporting the US and Israel in being prepared to deny the bleeding obvious.

When Howard left power the vote returned to normal but now Abbott has again tied to such a blinkered, selfish, self-centered, stance. Here is a link to Australia's voting record;

http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2013/11/26/Changing-votes-at-the-UN.aspx?COLLCC=2018533364&

It is cowardliness and I loathe it.

Dear Bazz,

Thank you for your insightful contribution.

Dear SteeleRedux,

I am trying to understand the complexity of the Australian
government strongly supporting the US in their pro-Israel stance
in all matters.

Supporting the US could come from the fact that Australia
geographically is located in a predominantly Asian area -
and were it to be attacked - we would need the support and
help of the US in defending ourselves.

Secondly, as I pointed out earlier - the Zionist lobby is
very strong in this country. As Antony Loewenstein explains
in his book, "My Israel Question,":

"Australia has the highest rate of emigration to Israel
per capita in the Western World, and a great number of
Jews regularly make financial contributions to Israel.
A 1991 survey of Jewish students on university campuses found
that 77 per cent envisaged themselves contributing regularly
to Israel once they became salary-earners. Such close
identification with the Jewish state is based on a strong
desire to maintain an ongoing connection with the homeland,
which is seen as a significant source of inspiration..."

Therefore it makes sense that the Jewish Community would
spend money in supporting certain political parties -
and time and money - in engaging in influencing pro
Israel politics in this country.

According to Loewenstein, "The Liberals have been most
successful in attracting Jewish financial support...
Jewish business figures including Frank Lowy, Harry
Triguboff and Richard Pratt donated millions
of dollars to Liberal Party coffers...Frank Lowy,
Australia's second richest man, is a close friend of
former PM John Howard. The former PM according to Fairfax
chairman Ron Walker - listens to his advice on
international issues particularly issues relating to the
state of Israel..."

Personally I've never had a high regard for the United Nations, and I thought by now it would've gone the same way as the 'League of Nations' ? I guess their ideals and ethics are sound, sound in principle at least. But those who occupy permanent membership of the Security Council, generally do little for the benefit of those smaller (often African) nations, that need their 'clout and influence', as evidenced in many examples, too many to cite in fact ?

Some time ago, I read a book penned by Lt Gen Romeo DALLAIRE, (Canadian Forces) who headed the UN response to the crisis in Rwanda. The book was titled; 'Shake Hands with the Devil' pub. 2003. Basically it was the United Nations failure, of the entire Rwandan Campaign. A truly horrifying account of human slaughter of hundreds of people within 100 metres of so of fully armed UN troops !

I don't know, I guess we've got to have some meeting point of nations that have no direct diplomacy with each other, or other similar nations for that matter, still...?

Foxy, and other geographically challenged posters.
Australia is NOT even near Asia.
Asia is on the other side of the world.
You all went to school with Mercator's projection of the world on
your classroom walls.
Several generations of children, me included, we brainwashed into
thinking Australia is in Asia.

Not only are the longitudes in parallel on the map but the latitudes
are not the same size in the North & Southern hemispheres !
The map is a distortion of fact.

Most people who have been brainwashed in that way are not aware that
Beijing is closer to Berlin than it is to Darwin.
Indonesia is not in Asia and the Philippines also is not in Asia.
Paris is closer to Asia than Australia.
I have won bets on these.

Dear Steele,

<<I never thought I would be glad to see Australia out of the Security Council>>

I was never glad to see it in! If there is shame about it, then it is in Australia's very involvement with this rogue organisation, the "United Nations" (which were never united of course). The whole fact of being there is shameful, rather than this vote or another which makes no difference anyway.

Dear Bazz,

<<Maybe the Canaanites have a claim if they still exist.>>

Many of those who now call themselves "Palestinians" are in fact ex-Jews, farmers who never left their land in thousands of years, but were forced to convert to Islam in order to avoid the heavy extra tax on Dhimmis.

Why then all this fuss about the internal quarrels among the Jews?