LABOR FRIENDS OF ISRAEL

Labor Friends of Israel is immensely proud of Australian Labor’s long-standing commitment to, and support for, the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their historic homeland and the State of Israel. Australia, led by Labor Prime Minister Ben Chifley, was the first country in the world to formally recognise Israel in January 1949 following mammoth efforts of External Affairs Minister H.V ‘Doc’ Evatt who has also served as President of the UN General Assembly in the preceding years. 

As well as our relationship with Israel, Jewish Australians – some of whom arrived on the First Fleet in 1788 – have played a significant and positive role in all aspects of multicultural Australian life, from politics and the ALP, trade unions, business, philanthropy, the law, science and medicine, academia, journalism and creative arts. Through these friendships and traditions, we seek to encourage members of the Jewish community to support the Australian Labor Party. We support the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism (IHRA) and support its adoption within the ALP. We also seek to promote social cohesion and fight racism in all its forms in Australia.

We celebrate Israel’s record as a beacon of democracy, the rule of law and protector of minority rights in the Middle East. We stand with all Israelis who seek to realise and expand the goal of equality set out in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. We recognise that Israel is the only country founded as a socialist enterprise and celebrate the enduring fraternal relationship between the Australian and Israeli Labor parties.

We seek to engage with all party members and supporters across Australia to ensure Labor maintains this long friendship and the ALP’s sensible policy position towards the only nation in the Middle East that shares our party’s values in its commitment to democracy, freedom of association and trade union rights, a free press, a free judiciary, equality of the sexes, the rights and protections for LGBTQIA+ people, and protection of religious and ethnic minorities.

We support diplomatic efforts to bring peace between Israel and its regional neighbours. We stand with all those campaigning for liberal democratic values, human rights and labour and trade union rights across the Middle East.

We work to further enhance the economic, political, environmental, cultural, intellectual and security relations between our two countries, recognising the direct benefits they bring to the safety, wellbeing and prosperity of Australia and Israel. Israel is at the forefront of the high-tech sector and with a similar climate to Australia shares some of our most important policy challenges such as climate, water management, medical technology, cyber security, and counter terrorism to name a few. These are all policy areas where greater exchange will benefit Australia.