MP Tanya Plibersek: Israel not so bad after all

Sydney Labor MP Tanya Plibersek does a backflip on Palestine in the wake of the stupid Marrickville boycott “debate”.

In 2002 the left wing member for Sydney was pretty clear about what she thought of the government of Israel.

She said: “I can think of a rogue state which consistently ignores UN resolutions whose ruler is a war criminal - it is called Israel and the war criminal is Ariel Sharon”.

She also said: “There have been criticisms of Israel's policies, but I don't think that's being anti-Israel”.

But now, apparently everything has changed.

With Rudd, Gillard, Howes and others doing their best to paint supporters of the BDS as “loopy” and “nuts”, it seems Plibersek has had a change of heart.

On April 15 the Australian reported her backflip:

Ms Plibersek told The Australian she no longer held the views she expressed in parliament.

"The comments that Christopher is referring to were made about 10 years ago, and I acknowledged at the time that I spoke injudiciously," she said.

"Like most Labor Party members and supporters, I'm in favour of a two-state solution. To compare the Labor position with the Greens is simply not right. The residents of Marrickville tell me that they are disturbed by the council's lack of focus on local issues and irrational boycott proposal."

So there you have it. Israel is no longer a “rogue state”. Plibersek has fully fallen into line with the ALP position – Israel can do no wrong and is beyond criticism over its treatment of Palestinians.

Maybe Plibersek is more concerned about future career prospects than human rights?