A symposium on the Palestinian catastrophe,聽held at the聽University of Sydney's Great Hall on聽September 5, was attended by many Labor and Green MPs, left parties, groups supporting Palestinian rights and Arab community members. 聽聽
Twenty years ago, prominent Palestinian writer Dr Hanan Ashrawi, who had been awarded聽the Sydney Peace Prize, was prevented from giving a speech in the same venue. So there was a sense that things had progressed.
Former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr started with聽a factual description of Israel as聽an occupying force,聽a racist apartheid state聽and its presence in Palestine being聽illegal. He said what had happened to Palestinians in 1967 was a disaster and that聽recognition of Palestine was 鈥渢aken for granted鈥 by Labor.
While advertisement聽described the Palestinian Catastrophe as referring to 鈥渢he devastation of the Palestinian homeland in 1949, and with it the displacement of the majority of Palestinian Arabs鈥, Carr recast it as a聽鈥渟etback of the 1967 war鈥.
This sleight-of-hand angered many in the audience, including many of his supporters. The聽Nakba is, for Palestinians, the greatest catastrophe聽and no one should聽accept its聽belittling.
Many Labor leaders say they recognise Palestine. But this does not mean they recognise聽Palestine as an independent state, only that they recognise聽the existence of Palestinian lands.
As for when Labor would recognise an independent Palestinian state, Carr said this would not happen before negotiations are resolved between Palestinians and Israel.
If Carr and other Labor leaders talk about Israel being an occupying force in Palestine, they must also recognise that the Palestinians living under occupation have the right to resist.
This is one of the most important of all human rights.
I asked Carr about this. He replied that he rejected all 鈥淧alestinian violence鈥 and that violence will not achieve anything. He said聽Australia will never support violent resistance.
He implied that this is why all Palestinian armed organisations will remain on the prohibited 鈥渢errorist organisations鈥 list.
Labor governments continue listing Palestinian resistance groups as 鈥渢errorist organisations鈥 while allowing armed Australian-Zionist organisations, accused of killing Palestinians in the West Bank, to organise here.
Some Zionist groups聽organise annual tours to Israel and some focus their tours on Zionist settlements in the Hebron area. organised by Bnei Akiva Australia invites students to spend two weeks living on an army base, or on a kibbutz.
Hashomer Hatzair Australia organises in the Jerusalem area. A even recruits members for the Israeli army.
Dual citizens of Australia and Israel can in the Israel Defense Forces. But dual nationals of a country with which Australia does not have close defence ties would be closely scrutinised for doing the same, or be criminalised.
Carr said the expansion of Israeli settlements is illegal, but then also said some in the West Bank are 鈥渓egal settlements鈥. He said聽this will be important to resolve in the final negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel. He did聽not mention Jerusalem, Israel鈥檚 siege of Gaza, or Palestinian refugees鈥 right of return.
Journalist Sophie McNeill and lawyer Rawan Arraf spoke about the need to find radical solutions, including ending the occupation and the suffering of Palestinians.
Professor Stuart Rees did a good job moderating, despite some loud condemnation of Carr鈥檚 comments.
Also provocative was the last-minute inclusion of La Trobe University Professor Joe Camilleri, who spoke about the need for dialogue between the Arab and Israeli communities. He argued that 鈥渓istening to the other side鈥 will help us see the 鈥渨hole picture鈥 and search for 鈥渞eal and lasting solutions鈥.