Arutz Sheva spoke to Stuart Robert, a member of parliament from Australia, who was in Israel as part of a delegation of 27 members of parliament from around the world.
The MPs took part in the 6th annual Israel Allies Foundation Jerusalem Chairman’s Conference, which focused on the 50th anniversary of the liberation and unification of Jerusalem and on instituting a new definition of anti-Semitism to include anti-Zionism, in countries around the world.
Israel “is the only free democracy in the Middle East. Only here, only in Israel, do you see that right across the entire the Middle East. That's something that we in Australia should stand for very strongly,” said Robert.
He spoke out against the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and said that it should be condemned.
“I moved a motion that was unanimously endorsed several weeks ago that thoroughly condemned the BDS movement, and it should be condemned,” said Robert. “Every step and every opportunity we have we speak against it, we denounce it, and we denounce those who are seeking to carry out.”
BDS's anti-Israel agenda “is always anti-Semitic and it is blatantly and utterly racist,” he opined. “It's only against Israel – a group of people in one faith – where you see a BDS movement. You see it nowhere else. You can't name me a single other country in the world, a single other faith or a single other people group where there's a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement except against the Jewish people and Israel. It's anti-Semitic, it's racist, it is beneath contempt.”
Stuart's message to Israel is that “Australia loves you and you'll find no firmer friend. We've been here for Israel for over 100 years. We're not a fair weather friend. We're here regardless of the circumstances and you should come to Australia for a holiday.”