Australia and Israel: Questions.

There is a question in the minds of many of my friends when we talk about Palestine and Israel and Australia. What really is the Australian position? I guess it is obvious, but is it coming from the experiences of those of us in primary school in the 1950's and Secondary school in the sixties; watching "Exodus" and hoping to go onto a kibbutz one day? Or is it Christian Zionism; or something else? Is it the politicians or the diplomats (or are they one and the same these days?) The final comment in this article makes those questions important! "...assistance from the Australian Embassy has brought up questions concerning Australia’s close relations with Israel."

http://tinyurl.com/yhtoljm

From the Alternative Information Centre comes this extra information:

"...Also speaking at the press conference were international solidarity activists Bridgette Chappell and Ariadna Jove Marti of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). Chappell and Jove were illegally detained by the Israeli army in Ramallah and released on bail earlier this week.
“We are not breaking any laws and are standing in solidarity with Palestinians in a non-violent and legal way,” said Chappell. ““The ISM media office in Ramallah was raided by the Israeli military last night at 3am, which was the second raid this week,” added Chappell. “The Israeli army clearly has no regard for the Oslo Accords and Area A, which is under full Palestinian control. These raids and arrests are meant to intimidate and harass us, to stop us from bearing witness to the Israeli human rights violations that help perpetuate the occupation,” stated Chappell. “However, it won’t work.”

Chappell and Jove believe their pending case before the Israeli Supreme Court will take 3-4 weeks, while they are also appealing in the Jerusalem District Court against the ruling that they are not allowed into the West Bank.
Attending the press conference were representatives from the Spanish and French consulates. Jove praised the support she has received to date from the Spanish Embassy and Consulate, while Chappell reflected that assistance from the Australian Embassy has brought up questions concerning Australia’s close relations with Israel."