Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The short answer is yes. That has been the position of this government from 2007, from its election: Israel guaranteed within secure borders. We would not contemplate any other policy. It is consistent with the views of federal Labor governments. It is consistent with the views of foreign ministers and Prime Ministers of Labor governments. It has never been in doubt; it has never been in question.

Moreover, I suspect, unlike the senator who asked me the question, I have argued this case with advocates of the Palestinian cause. I have said to them that Israel can never be bombed towards a two-party state. Unlike you—you would not have engaged in this sort of debate—I have debated this issue for decades, Senator. I have said to Palestinian delegations: you will not achieve peace or advance peace by firing missiles onto Israel. I have said that, until there is an unequivocal commitment to Israel within secure boundaries, the preconditions for a peace between the parties in the Middle East is not met. I do not say that when I am speaking only in the Senate, only in the Australian parliament. I have said it elsewhere. I have said it when I have been honoured to confer a peace prize on Hannan Ashrawi, an honourable spokesperson for the Palestinian cause. I said in that speech in the New South Wales parliament: Israel will not be bombed towards peace negotiations—as simple as that. I have said it when I have met a Palestinian delegation that came to see me after the Parramatta Community Cabinet meeting. I said to these young students—two very bright young girls—we believe in a Palestinian state, but Palestinians will only advance that goal by giving Israel the security guarantees it legitimately wants. I said that is the Australian position. We will not retreat from that position. I said to a group of Palestinians on another occasion, when I was Premier of New South Wales, that Israel responded by building a security barrier because bombs were going off in bus depots and cafeterias. Any government, I said, would do the same.