Published: 15 August 2023
Last updated: 19 March 2024
The Zionist Federation’s defence of settlements has drawn opposition from several constituent organisations who say criticising the government’s new language on Israel is "politically naïve and morally wrong".
Representatives of Ameinu Australia, Meretz Australia, Habonim Dror Australia and Hashomer Hatzair Australia wrote to Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) president Jeremy Liebler objecting to the official Jewish communal response to last week’s announcement by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Wong announced that Australia would harden its language on Israel-Palestine, referring to the West Bank as “occupied” and settlements as “illegal”.
A joint statement from the Zionist Federation of Australia and Executive Council of Australian Jewry described the new official language as “inaccurate, ahistorical and counterproductive, pre-empting the outcome of negotiations between the parties and final status issues”. The statement was also endorsed by the Australian Progressive Movement.
But the dissenting organisations said they had not been consulted or even advised before the statement was issued and they disagreed with its content.
“International law is clear on the status of the territories captured by Israel in the Six-Day War. The territories are occupied and civilian Israeli settlements on the land are considered illegal. Israel’s own foreign ministry acknowledged as such in 1967. Criticising the Australian government for upholding its obligations under international law is politically naive and morally wrong,” the letter said.
“The Albanese government has done an admirable job of separating legal claims of sovereignty by Israel from the religious, historical, national and cultural claims of the Jewish people. As the foreign minister clearly stated, the government remains a clear friend of Israel and supports its right to defend itself. We stand with them.”
The letter accused the ZFA and Jewish community’s leadership more broadly of anti-Labor partisanship and of failing to recognise the threat to Israel’s democracy and security posed by the settler movement.
“The statement should have mentioned the dramatic rise in Jewish terrorism against Palestinian targets actively encouraged by Benjamin Netanyahu’s hand-picked national security minister. It also should have mentioned the detrimental effect this has on Israel’s own security. Failing to do so does a disservice to the organisation’s claims to be an honest interlocutor in the foreign policy debate.”
The Australian Jewish News described the government as hypocritical because it had refused to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on the grounds that the issue should be part of a negotiated settlement but had taken a position on other disputed territories.
But a hardline on settlements was welcomed by the New Israel Fund Australia (NIF) and supported by The Jewish Independent.
NIF supported Wong’s statement expressing concern about settlement activity and settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territories. Since the election of the Netanyahu government last year, settlement approvals and settler violence have reached a record high, receiving widespread condemnation from the Australian government and from our allies in Britain, Canada, Europe, and the United States.
“NIF welcomes Australia’s decision to recognise the fact that the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law, and that they have only served to further hinder peacebuilding efforts between Israelis and Palestinians, as UN resolution 2334, hundreds of academics and a range of Jewish organisations have noted.
“Since Prime Minister Netanyahu appointed former settlement leader and self-described “proud homophobe” Bezalel Smotrich, MK, in charge of settlement activity within the Defence Ministry, we have seen nearly 600 settler attacks and more than 20,000 housing units advanced in settlements – the highest levels on record,” the NIF said in a statement.
ZFA President Jeremy Leibler said there would be an opportunity for all affiliates to raise issues at the upcoming plenary conference.
"The Zionist Federation of Australia is an elected representative roof body of the Jewish community. We have regular meetings and consult with affiliate organisations. While the Jewish community is diverse, on many issues there is a clear consensus position including in relation to the recent joint statement issued by the ZFA and ECAJ – the two national elected representative bodies of the Jewish community. The statement has been endorsed by other representative organisations including Zionism Victoria, the State Zionist Council of NSW and the Jewish Communal Council of Victoria. Indeed, three other progressive Jewish groups and ZFA affiliates (Union for Progressive Judaism, Assembly of Rabbis and Cantors and ARZA – the Voice of Progressive Judaism in Victoria) have also endorsed the ZFA/ECAJ Statement."
READ MORE
Letter to ZFA (Ameinu et al)
Australian government gives Israel some tough love (The Jewish Independent Editorial)
Jewish community strongly criticises new position of Australian Government (ZFA/ECAJ)
NIF welcomes Minister Wong’s statement of concern on settlements (NIF Australia)
Photo: Israeli soldiers prevent Palestinian protesters from advancing during a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the village of Beit Dajan, near the West Bank city of Nablus, last week. (Nasser Ishtayeh / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
