Noteworthy: Victorian Liberal Friends of Israel

In early July I was invited to join the Victorian chapter of the Liberal Friends of Israel. I learnt about this initiative over a morning coffee with Noa Bloch and Lexi Kowal, the Political Affairs Director and former board member of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) respectively.

Founded by Senator James Paterson, David Southwick MP and Tim Wilson MP, the network is already working with its NSW counterpart to build greater appreciation of the Australia-Israel friendship within the Liberal Party, attracting a large membership base in Victoria. Spokesperson David Van told I&CT, “we’ve been thrilled by the launch: the response has been extraordinary.”

The Liberal Party will always be a Zionist Party

The launch on 26 August drew more than 300 local supporters including 16 state Liberal MPs. The current Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg demonstrated his solid understanding of Israel’s history and spoke with great conviction in support of the bilateral friendship. Stalwart ambassador for the Christian Zionist community Jill Curry was well received. Curry gave a lucid summary of Christians’ rationale for supporting Israel before introducing Dave Sharma, former Australian Ambassador to Israel. On September 13, Sharma was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Turnbull’s former seat of Wentworth in the upcoming by-election. The speeches from the evening can be viewed on Senator James Paterson’s YouTube channel. They included leader of the Opposition Matthew Guy, declaring “The Liberal Party will always be a Zionist Party” and Senator Paterson referencing the 8,000 signature-strong petition to move Australia’s embassy to Jerusalem, which he presented to the Senate late last year. While some speeches showed greater awareness of Israel’s unique significance than others, the support for fostering pro-Israel sentiment was overwhelming.

Senator James Paterson giving a speech for the first Liberal Friends of Israel gathering at the official Launch.

Despite a planned pre-Rosh Hashanah breakfast with Julie Bishop being cancelled due to the unrelated leadership upheaval in Canberra, steady commitment from the Party base ensures that this is an initiative to keep an eye on. James Paterson deserves respect for carrying momentum to move the Embassy. Dave Sharma’s election is not a safe bet, but he would provide a steady voice in Canberra. The Victorian chapter is launched explicitly for members from all backgrounds and Christian involvement is welcomed. I encourage readers to continue working with allied groups such as this, as our Christian support is greatly appreciated by the Jewish community.