Full text of letter here: https://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/statement-by-former-prime-ministers-of-australia
Where’s the actual statement they all signed? Weird it isn’t linked or quoted in-full.
The excerpts are not controvercial, but is that the whole thing?
OP shared the letter in the body text:
https://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/statement-by-former-prime-ministers-of-australia
Thanks!
I’m with Mr Keating. I would not have signed it, either. There are a few problematic statements in it:And there is no more tenaciously evil race hatred than antisemitism.
While technically true that nothing is more evil, antisemitisim is not especially special when it comes to hate. It’s all bad.
Our Australian Jewish community, directly affected by the terrible crimes of Hamas, not only has to endure the loss and suffering of their families in Israel, but now sees these events being used by some to spread ancient hatreds which have inflicted so much suffering on the Jewish people for thousands of years.
This one feels off. This paragraph feels like its trying to lump all Jewish people into one big group and say they’re all affected by the crisis, and they all have lost relatives in Israel. I’m not comfortable equating Israel and Judaism. It is possible to he Israeli and not Jewish. It is possible to be Jewish and not Israeli. Technically, both Palestine and Israel are the same nation at present.
It isn’t that I have problems with the overall statement. I agree that hostages should be freed unconditionally. I agree that Hamas is trying to provoke a larger conflict. I agree that if the IDF goes into Gaza with retribution as their goal, they’ll be doing Hamas’ work for them. I agree that humanitarian access for civilians needs to be maintained.
I just wouldn’t feel right signing it, personally. Some of the contents are being written from a perspective that is less neutral to how I feel on the conflict. And that’s bourne out by the headline ‘Former PMs express their support for Israel’. I think that this statement should have been made by a joint body representing both Jewish and Palestine people in Australia.
A much more balanced stance than is offered by Dutton, though I don’t understand why antisemitism is worse than any other form of hatred?
anti-semitism
hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people.
Is it possible to criticize Israel for its actions at war without it misinterpreted as being targeted against Jews in particular?
Reading the other comments it seems like the letter was drafted by the Zionist Federation of Australia which would explain the support for Israel. The unconditional support people are throwing at Israel is confusing, yes Hamas attacked first but Israel didn’t have to fight back and drag everyone into this complex argument about who is right and who is wrong. Self defence has got to be the weakest reasoning when it would appear that more Palestinians have been brutally killed than Israelis
I kind of think homogenising all Jewish people as being pro-israel is it’s own form of anti-semitism. There have been a lot of Jewish people, both in Israel and around the world, who have voiced their criticism of Israel’s actions.
Its because of the influence of Zionism as a political ideology particularly in the West. For Zionists, antisemitism is a tool to be used against those who support Palestine. It can be used to make Jews feel afraid of a second Holocaust, it can be used to paint anyone the capitalists do not like (See Jeremy Corbyn) as ‘antisemites’.
Most people think of Jews when it comes to Holocaust but there were other victims too, Romani people for example. It is well known what Europeans think of Romani people even now.
Mr Keating yesterday published a statement saying he would not sign onto the letter “drafted by” The Zionist Federation of Australia.
Anyone got a link to Keating’s statement?
Edit: found it
Your link keeps jamming dor me, so i quote this one:
*Today’s Melbourne Herald Sun carries a story that, along with other former Australian Prime Ministers, I will be a signature to a statement drafted by The Zionist Federation of Australia, condemning the attack by Hamas on Israel. This report is without foundation and is untrue.
Mark Leibler contacted me earlier last week proposing the prospective joint statement for my agreement and signature.
I told Leibler in a written message that I would not be agreeing to join other former Prime Ministers in authorising the statement.
That remains my position.
Statement by PJ Keating, 29 October 2023.*
Keating is a lot fuckin’ sharper and more savvy than the conniving jackals pictured, can’t say I’m surprised
Yes sorry about that, I had the same link as you but accidentally cut off the https:// of the URL which apparently made it go belly up. Thanks for re-upping.
Likewise, I reckon Keating is no slouch, he was bang on with his comments re AUKUS earlier this year, and current Labor are doing themselves a disservice for not heeding his warnings imo.
Not a fan of Keating but mad respect for his balls here.
I’m a bit peeved about the post title.
The article heading is:
Former prime ministers join to condemn Hamas, urge Israel to protect civilian lives
The post title is the first sentence, which gives a very different impression.
Hasn’t Keating been vocally backing the Chinese Communist Party’s claims to Taiwan recently as well?
As was pointed out by another user, it’s preferred when posting news to stick with the original headline
This is the best summary I could come up with:
All of Australia’s living prime ministers except for Paul Keating have joined to express their support for Israel and call for solidarity with Jewish Australians, in a rare statement undersigned by former leaders of both major parties.
The joint statement by Scott Morrison, Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and John Howard also called upon Hamas to release hostages taken in the October 7 terror attacks, and urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties and sustain humanitarian access into Gaza.
Mr Keating yesterday published a statement saying he would not sign onto the letter “drafted by” The Zionist Federation of Australia.
The United Nations has called on Israel and Hamas to negotiate a “humanitarian pause” to allow aid into blockaded Gaza.
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said it was alarmed that the group of prime ministers had “allowed themselves to be used” by the pro-Israel lobby.
“The statement’s reference to ‘Australian values of love and respect’ rings hollow, given that the former prime ministers failed to acknowledge the tens of thousands of Australians expressing their horror about Israel’s behaviour, and ignored the anguish that many thousands of Palestinian Australians are currently feeling,” the advocacy group’s statement read.
The original article contains 583 words, the summary contains 196 words. Saved 66%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
