Alleged passport misuse tests Australia-Israel ties
Updated
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has again told Israel he's not happy with its response on the use of forged Australian passports. The passports were used by alleged Israeli agents accused of a recent assassination in Dubai. Some observers say it's possible that Australia's abstention at last Friday's U-N general assembly vote was a signal from Canberra that it won't be taken for granted by Israel. But a former president of the U-N Association in Australia says Canberra should take a firmer line with Israel on peaceful conflict resolution and full application of treaties and human rights between Israel and the Palestinians.
Presenter: Linda Mottram, Canberra Correspondent
Speakers: Michael Danby, Australian Labor Party MP; Kevin Rudd, Australian Prime Minister; John Langmore, former President U-N Association of Australia
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MOTTRAM: Australia has a strong and enduring relationship with Israel but hasn't always voted as Israel would prefer on UN resolutions. So there is, on the face of it, no surprise that last Friday, Australia abstained, rather than voted against, a new general assembly resolution. It calls on Israel and the Palestinian side to conduct credible investigations into serious human rights violations during the Israeli invasion of Gaza that began in December 2008.
Michael Danby frequently speaks on Israel-related issues and is a Member of Parliament for the Prime Minister's own Australian Labor Party.
DANBY: I'm disappointed that the abstention was taken. I agree with Stephen Smith's original position. And I'm obviously disappointed that members of the Australian government aren't advised before they read about these change of decisions in the newspapers.
MOTTRAM: The "original position" Mr Danby refers to is an earlier vote in the U-N against the Goldstone report, the first investigation of the Gaza conflict which Israel contested as biased and which Australia voted against. Friday's resolution was not about Goldstone, so despite Israel's objections again, Australia abstained this time. And that diplomatic observers say, can rightly be interpreted as a sleight, if opportunistic, against Israel over the quite separate issue of forged Australian passports allegedly used by Mossad in the Hamas killing in Dubai last month.
The Australian government denies it changed its vote to punish Israel on the passport issue. "Australia abandons Israel" is how one newspaper put it. But at the same time, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has reiterated his very strong displeasure over the abuse of Australian passports and more importantly Israel's failure to answer the issues.
RUDD: Well firstly as I said the other day, Australia is not satisfied with the answer that we've received from the Israeli government so far in relation to the use and abuse of Australian passports. The second point I'd make is this. The Australian government always reviews UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on their merits and this one was reviewed on it's merits.
MOTTRAM: The former President of the United Nations Association of Australia, now professorial fellow at Melbourne University, John Langmore, says he hopes last Friday's vote signals a shift by Australia to trying to do more about the issues from the Gaza war.
LANGMORE: Well I hope it is because I think that it's important that the Goldstone report and it's implications be taken seriously. But it's possible that it wasn't and the Foreign Minister says that it wasn't and that this was the way Australia had always planned to vote and one can accept his comment I think.
MOTTRAM: And yet at the same time, amid these rather strongly-worded newspaper reports suggesting that this was a change of vote in order to sleight Israel on the issue of the passports, at the same time the Prime Minister did again take the opportunity to make the point that Australia is unhappy with Israel's position on the passports. Do you think he's having a bet each way so to speak?
LANGMORE: Look I can't read his mind. It's possible. If he is, if he's sending a signal then I think that's a good thing. But he may or may not be doing so. It's impossible to be absolutely sure.
MOTTRAM: Where does that leave Australia's diplomacy with Israel. It appears that it leaves Australia really nowhere in particular, that Israel can say, well nothing's changed everything's fine?
LANGMORE: They could say that and that may be true. It depends on what Australia does later. One hopes that Australia will indicate a stronger commitment to peaceful conflict resolution and full application of treaties and human rights in that very difficult situation. And find consistent ways of doing that.
