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,,, unlike Phil Goff [photo], his New Zealand equivalent, who visited Arafat last year.
Posted on 01/26/2004 7:37:11 AM PST by veronica
In an era of anti-American and anti-Israel political correctness Australia has become the leader of a counterrevolution based on morality and common sense.
Instead of double-talk and double standards from much of the self-declared "international community," Australian leaders consistently say what they mean, and mean what they say.
When the head of Sydney University's Peace Foundation emptied the concept of peace of any content by honoring Hanan Ashrawi, the PLO's star propagandist and leader in the demonization of Israel, officials noted the absurdity of the decision and stayed far away.
The policies adopted and implemented by Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer – who is in Israel for an official visit – are characterized by a combination of backbone, courage and principle, which have paid off well for the Australian people.
Canberra is now widely recognized as a leader in the response to terrorism and the restoration of international stability.
In sharp contrast to European politicians and diplomats whose policies on terrorism and the Middle East have been total failures, the Australians are increasingly welcomed as realistic and effective.
Like the Bush administration and, on occasion, Tony Blair's Britain, the Howard/Downer foreign policy recognizes the inherent immorality and transmission of weakness in evenhanded responses to terrorism and hatred.
Australia has consistently avoided being caught in the demonization of Israel, joining a handful of countries in opposing the General Assembly resolution which asked the International Court of Justice to investigate Israel's separation barriers.
In contrast, Canada and most of Europe took a carefully evenhanded and entirely unprincipled position by abstaining.
THESE POLICIES go beyond words and UN votes, and include a direct role in the war against terrorism. After el-Qaida's 9/11 terror attacks, Australia was one of the few countries that recognized the essential need to respond without political hesitation or ethical equivocation.
In both Afghanistan and Iraq Australian forces showed an extraordinarily high degree of professionalism and dedication. Their special forces operating in the large desert regions of Western Iraq ensured the protection of Israel by prevented the launching of Scud missiles.
And before the war that ousted Saddam Hussein and his regime, the Australian navy played a leading part in the effective enforcement of the sanctions regime.
Although critics have ridiculed the Australian government for acting as Washington's "deputy sheriff," these policies have been both principled and served Australia's national interest.
Although Australia is a continent unto itself and its location in the Asia-Pacific is far from the insanity of the Middle East, there are many local sources of instability and threat.
But in contrast to Europe's hand-wringing and ineffective policies in the Balkans, Australia acted with effectiveness to end conflicts and impose order in both East Timor and the Solomon Islands.
Dismissing the criticism from Indonesia and others, Canberra sent troops to East Timor to end the violence and help the creation of an independent state and a new reality for its residents. Where other countries only pay lip service to human rights, this Australian policy places the emphasis on reality, including the right to security against terror.
The depth of the Australian commitment to universal human rights was clearly demonstrated in the case of the Iranian Jews arrested and tried in Iran. An Australian observer went from the embassy in Teheran to Shiraz in order to be present at the trial, letting the Iranian leadership know that its actions were being monitored and that Australia would not stay silent. Such actions may have prevented the Iranian authorities from issuing death sentences.
Recognition of the achievements created by this "both feet firmly planted on the ground" approach has also earned Australia the respect of many countries around the world.
The government's critics warned that its very visible role and dispatch of troops to create stability in East Timor would lead to a crisis in relations with Indonesia and China. But instead of a crisis, China's leaders have gone out of their way to develop good relations with Asia's other emerging regional power, and stepped up contracts to Australian firms in energy development and other areas.
Widening the focus to the global dimension, Australia has been elected unanimously to replace Libya as head of the UN Human Rights Commission, creating conditions for undoing the enormous damage caused by the politicization of this organization in the days of Mary Robinson and the infamous Durban conference on racism. This is an opportunity to reverse the abuse of this and other human rights groups as frameworks for anti-Israel and anti-American propaganda.
For all these reasons, as well as steadily increasing trade with Israel and a firm rejection of anti-Semitism – old and new – Alexander Downer, Australia's foreign minister, deserves a very warm welcome in Jerusalem.
Unlike clinton who embraced the PLO. Wish President Bush would stand as strong against the PLO as the Aussies are showing here.
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,,, unlike Phil Goff [photo], his New Zealand equivalent, who visited Arafat last year.
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