The following article was published in "The Guardian", newspaper of the
Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday, November 12th, 2003.
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Zionist lobby falls flat over Ashrawi
The visit of Dr Hanan Ashrawi to Australia to receive the Sydney Peace
Prize, awarded by the Sydney Peace Foundation has had one unexpected
consequence - it has split the Jewish community in Australia. A virulent
campaign was waged by a Zionist lobby against her being awarded the
Peace prize. Kathryn Greiner, one of the members of the Sydney Peace
Foundation that awarded the prize, described the lobbying as "ferocious".
The split has seen people who consider themselves Zionists come out in
opposition to the anti-Ashrawi lobbyists.
The Australian Jewish News reported that "the furore has focused on the
perception that the Jewish community - or the so-called Jewish lobby -
has inappropriately used political and financial clout in an attempt to
discredit Ashrawi".
It says, "Sharp differences over the issue have emerged within the
Jewish community, which has sustained a great deal of critical press
over the affair".
Prime Minister John Howard bought into the issue and attempted to
nominate another Palestinian to receive the prize - none other than the
former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Abbu Mazzin. The fact
that the PM favoured Mazzin tends to confirm the perception that Mazzin
is a stooge of outside forces.
The Israeli Ambassador had something to say too - "In order to get a
peace prize you really have to be proactive, to do something in favour
of peace, and to the best of my knowledge, Mrs Ashrawi has done nothing
to enhance peace between Israel and the Palestinians".
The daily newspapers, TV and radio were full of the "debate". However,
it was the political extremists in the anti-Ashrawi Zionist lobby that
came off second-best in the face of the refusal of the Peace Foundation,
NSW Premier Bob Carr and many others to back down. Bob Carr went ahead
and presented the prize.
Dr Ashrawi was given a very warm reception at the public meeting in
Sydney and at the function held in Parliament House at which she was
presented with the award.
Not to be outdone in his support for the Zionist cause, the Prime
Minister has moved, without any prior UN decision, to ban Hamas as a
"terrorist" organisation. He called the Senate together in special
session to get this decision rushed through Parliament.
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