It certainly surprised many in Israel and the global commentariat that current Israeli Prime Minister and leader of the right-wing Likud party, Bibi Netenyahu, won the recent Israeli Election, and with the 6-seat margin over the Labor-dominated Opposition Zionist Camp unity group. The significance of the win resonates strongly within a number of overlapping circles…
Peter Baldwin was the ALP member for the House of Representatives seat of Sydney between 1983 and 1998. Following a dinner hosted by the Blackheath Philosophy Forum on 26 July 2014, the chair Peter Baldwin and speaker Peter Slezak disagreed about the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel. Peter Baldwin’s take on it can be…
At the NSW Labor Conference I spoke in opposition to a motion moved by Bob Carr concerning the Israel-Palestinian Peace Process. The motion lacked balance, was loosely and inappropriately worded, and seemed to equate Israel with Hamas. In 1977 as a university student, under the tutelage of Bob Carr, I joined Labor Friends of Israel…
Michael Easson, Labor stalwart and former Secretary of Unions NSW argues why the ALP in NSW should not dump its traditional support for the only democracy in the Middle East. Read it here: Labor Must Not Turn Its Back on Israel
The international response to Israel’s defensive actions against terrorism is disturbingly familiar, and it is galvanizing the Israeli public against making further compromises to their security for the sake of peace. Each iteration of this experience feels like déjà vu all over again, driving yet another nail into the coffin of Israeli/Palestinian peace as global…
I have stood at the crest of Sderot, I have looked across the border – out to Beit Hanoun and the cities in Gaza beyond it – and I have witnessed failure. It’s sad. There are 1.8 million men, women and children in Gaza. They have a right to prosperity and peace. Their leaders, in…
Victorian Opposition Leader and Leader of the Victorian Labor Party, Daniel Andrews MLA, recently spoke to Adam Slonim and Ben Maxfield of AILD about his visit to Israel in December 2013. What was your motivation for visiting Israel? It is not enough to learn about Israel from a book. You have to go there. Until…
I am deeply honoured to accept the Jerusalem Prize tonight and proud to do so in the presence of so many friends. To me, anything that is named in tribute to Jerusalem – the City of Peace – has a special resonance. I always love it when I can visit there – and I will…
During his recent visit to Israel, AILD’s Michael Borowick met with Labour Party leader Shelley Yechimovich and Hilik Bar, Israel Labour Party General Secretary. Borowick and Bar also met at headquarters of the Labour Party in Tel Aviv to discuss the importance of AILD and the dialogue it seeks to foster between the ILP and…
At a function celebrating the return of 9 Victorian ALP State Parliamentarians from a recent study mission to Israel, Deputy Labor Leader, Hon James Merlino MLA, said that he understood and believed that “Israel is a triumph of the human spirit.” Merlino talked about the mission as confronting, beautiful, sobering and fascinating. He said a highlight was…