The PM Meets the Press

December 3, 2012 by  
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Prime Minister Julia Gillard appeared on Channel 10’s “Meet the Press” yesterday. We publish what she had to say about the Middle East….

 

Prime Minister Julia Gillard

HOST: Okay, switching to another issue. The Israel lobby and the Opposition are very unhappy you were rolled on Australia’s vote in the UN, giving the Palestinian authority observer status. Here is Tony Abbott this morning:

 

TONY ABBOTT GRAB: It seemed to put in jeopardy 60-odd years of settled bipartisan policy of rock-solid support for Israel.

 

HOST: Prime Minister, you said over the weekend that your Cabinet’s position on Israel will create further problems in terms of the peace process. How can the Prime Minister’s position be at odds with her Cabinet and party’s position on such a crucial foreign policy area?

 

PM: I did not say that over the weekend, Patricia, number one. And number two, there is a Government position here, which is my position, which has already been put into operation. We abstained on-

 

HOST: Do you fully support the Government’s position on abstaining?

 

PM: I announced at our party room meeting that we would be abstaining, and we did abstain, we abstained on the vote.

 

HOST: Will you feel completely comfortable with that position? You think that position is-

 

PM: Well, Patricia, let me answer your question, and you’ll understand my perspective here.

 

I announced at our party room meeting we would be abstaining on the vote before the UN, and that vote is to give the Palestinian people the same status at the UN as the Vatican has now. We abstained, the vote was always going to be carried, and it was carried by a substantial majority.

 

Coming back more broadly to questions of peace in the Middle East, there is no peace plan on the table at the moment for people to vote for. What I would love to see, what my party would love to see, what I think so many in the Australian nation would love to see is a peace plan that resolves the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Unfortunately there’s no such peace plan in the offing right now, which is why, of course, we will always say that we want to see peace in the Middle East, we want a two-state solution, we want to see both Israel and Palestine with states, with secure borders and peace for the future.

 

Comments

3 Responses to “The PM Meets the Press”
  1. “Obfuscating the answer with platitudes that do NOT address the question” and reiterating ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

    And this “two-state Solution” garbage has been dragged up and down the street long enough. It stinks.

  2. Ruth says:

    With Ms Gillard’s past history why would anyone believe her -” honesty” is not in her vocabulary .

  3. Otto Waldmann says:

    ….and this is precisely why Ms Gillard has serious problems with a massive majority of the voters !!!
    Obfuscating the answer with platitudes which do NOT address the question, assuming that the audience, not just the journalist, will swllow just anything in lieu of a clear reply is both unfair and insulting. Insulting to the most elemantary intelligence of anyone who watches/listens and expects a retort strictly relted to the question.
    The only clarification the PM unintentionlly offered was that, in actual fact, the entire comedy of pretence of personal suport for Israel was a smoke screen. It has been celrthat, during the recent international meets te PM promissed Obama that she will provide US with support at the UN. She was hoping that Obam would have stated something qite immediately, t the conclusion of those meets, to the effect that Australia and our PM is something or nother of “great” something or another, thus boosting her image, one that has been suffering terrible blows recently. It looks like Obama must have known something because he did not fall for the “assurances” and waited for the actual “stuff” to be delivered. Honesty had prevailed and the true nature of Labor Gov. “support” had eventuated, PM reliance on the said pro Israel included.
    The mbivalence of the PM has been quite evident in the statements made prior to the UN issue being canvassed. Read the very statements on ME right here and you shall find drastic distinction in details between what the US have been promoting and what the same Australian PM has been stating ( NOT to mention our Bob Carr and the respective US Clinton on the same issues !!) and, probably unkeknown to Ms Gillard, the US Admin. takes official statements quite seriously.
    If PM Gillard would have been genuine in her personal support for Israel she would have come across as such in the above interview, REGARDLESS of what the Party room has decided so overwhelmingly on.

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