Bob Carr Accused Of Bigotry

[icyfroth]

Bob Carr has been accused of bigotry and exaggerating the influence of the pro-Israel lobby to sell his book after asserting in his new political memoir that Australian foreign policy had been “subcontracted” to pro-Israeli donors.

Carr has not backed away from the observations in Bob Carr: Diary of a Foreign Minister where he describes a bitter dispute with the then prime minister, Julia Gillard, in late 2012 over her insistence Australia should support Israel and vote against Palestinian observer status in the United Nations.

“Subcontracting our foreign policy to party donors is what this involves. Or appears to involve,” he wrote in the diary, repeatedly referencing the influence of the “right-wing, pro-Israel” lobby in Melbourne.

Asked how the lobby achieved this influence he said: “I think party donations and a program of giving trips to MPs and journalists to Israel. But that's not to condemn them. I mean, other interest groups do the same thing. But it needs to be highlighted because I think it reached a very unhealthy level.

“I think the great mistake of the pro-Israel lobby in Melbourne is to express an extreme right-wing Israeli view rather than a more tolerant liberal Israeli view, and in addition to that, to seek to win on everything, to block the foreign minister of Australia through their influence with the prime minister's office from even making the most routine criticism of Israeli settlement policy, using the kind of language that a conservative foreign secretary from the UK would use in a comparable statement at the same time.”

Asked how the lobby achieved this influence he said: “I think party donations and a program of giving trips to MPs and journalists to Israel. But that's not to condemn them. I mean, other interest groups do the same thing. But it needs to be highlighted because I think it reached a very unhealthy level.

“I think the great mistake of the pro-Israel lobby in Melbourne is to express an extreme right-wing Israeli view rather than a more tolerant liberal Israeli view, and in addition to that, to seek to win on everything, to block the foreign minister of Australia through their influence with the prime minister's office from even making the most routine criticism of Israeli settlement policy, using the kind of language that a conservative foreign secretary from the UK would use in a comparable statement at the same time.”

Melbourne-based Jewish MP Michael Danby rejected the allegation on the ABC and accused Carr of bigotry: “It's laughable but I suppose in the current climate, as George Brandis says, it's OK to be a bigot.

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Oops don't mention the Israeli settlement policy...

[spotweldersfriend]

Just following the rest of the west on that one. I agree with him there.

[boris1gary]

carr is a right wing prat, but on this occasion not a bigot. Being anti zionist is not being anti semitic.

Gaza under the hammer

Some of the targets of zionism are sickeningly familiar. Gaza remains under permanent siege and threat of bombardment, made worse before Christmas by a natural disaster that was transformed into a man-made health emergency when flooding from heavy rainfall was exacerbated by Israel’s callous decision to open the Wadi Sofa Dam in the south of Gaza, flooding dozens of houses and leaving hundreds without shelter.

The failure of pumping equipment (starved of parts and hit by severe power shortages – both as a result of Israel’s siege of Gaza) further led to raw sewage swamping some areas, adding to all the other miseries inflicted by the blockade. Then the Israeli armed forces welcomed in the New Year with a series of air strikes targeting four sites in the central and northern Gaza Strip. Such is the murderous ‘business as usual’ for Israel.

But zionism, whose own aspirations to national statehood lack all historical legitimacy, is nothing if not international in its ambitions. Israel has never shirked its responsibilities as a loyal little upholder of world reaction, with Washington’s present apparent low profile if anything acting as a spur to Israel’s own wider ambitions. And Israel’s determination to cling to its role as regional policeman chimes well with the aspirations of another disgruntled middle-eastern US lackey – Saudi Arabia.

[just_me_karen]

One thing I can never understand is how a country that was formed after horrific human rights violations and the holocaust could, just a few years later, start doing the same thing to another group of people,,,,and the current victims had absolutely nothing to do with the previous evilness. I don't get it.

[lakeland27]

Carrs detractors don't recognise a first class satirist when they see one.  all politicians are vain to a degree, but hardly any can write as Carr can. most of the book content is tongue in cheek in a way that goes over the average punters head. on the more serious matter of daring to criticise Israeli politics he makes a very clear and valid point without the satire. insight like this is something you wont find in many other works by pollies .. battlelines is a piece of utter trash.

[freshwater-2]

Being anti zionist is not being anti semitic.

Boris 90% of folk do not understand that Jewish and Zionist are not the same thing.

[boris1gary]

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@freshwaterbeach wrote:

Being anti zionist is not being anti semitic.

Boris 90% of folk do not understand that Jewish and Zionist are not the same thing.

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I know and I don't think that's by accident either.

[freddie*rooster]

I don't think Bob would care much about the accusations, whilst he's being talked about his book is selling.

[boris1gary]

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@freddie*rooster wrote:

I don't think Bob would care much about the accusations, whilst he's being talked about his book is selling.

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Successful advertising campaign at a bargain rate.

[lakeland27]

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@freddie*rooster wrote:

I don't think Bob would care much about the accusations, whilst he's being talked about his book is selling.

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 that's the thing , love him or loathe him.. he doesn't mind. foremost to a person like him is his satisfaction with the book not anyone else's.

 its a bit like 'i'm vain , but so is he and she and the rest of them''. a person has to posses a degree of vanity just to put their hand up in the first place for a seat in state politics let alone the world stage. its a bit of a dig at fake humility.

his publisher would be very happy. personally i don't like him, he's more of a Howard era lib before the far right took complete control of the party. a small L .