On Israel, Labor Dithers

Facing a complex and important international affairs issue, the Labor Party has again dithered.

While Australia took a strong stand in the United Nations in support of Israel's right to construct a security barrier, the best Foreign Affairs Spokesman Kevin Rudd could manage was to dither:

"A more appropriate course of action would have been for Australia to have abstained on this particular resolution." Kevin Rudd (ABC Radio, 22/7/04)

This dithering is no substitute for policy. Australians rightly expect their political parties to stand up and speak out for the principles and policies they believe in.

That is why the Government took a clear, consistent and principled position in the vote on the UN General Assembly's resolution about the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling on Israel's security barrier yesterday.

Australia voted against the Emergency Special Session resolution on 20 July in New York because:

we did not think an ICJ opinion would help make progress towards resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute
this action ran the risk of politicising the ICJ, an important body
and we believe Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorists attacks from suicide/homicide bombers.

However, Australia understands and shares the concerns of the Palestinian community about the route of the security barrier.

I have urged Israel's government to move the route closer to the so-called 1967 green line and I welcome its positive response to the recent Israeli High Court ruling on this issue.

Media inquiries: Media inquiries: Chris Kenny (Mr Downer's Office) 02 6277 7500