NAOMI LEVIN

THE Labor Party has committed to supporting a two-state solution in the Middle East.

At its national conference last week, a resolution was passed on the issue during the three-day conference in Sydney, after being nominated by Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support and Water Dr Mike Kelly and supported by former ALP national president Warren Mundine.

The resolution reads: “That Conference supports the latest peace initiatives to support a two-state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians live in peace and within secure borders.”

When asked about the brevity of the statement considering the complexity of the issue, Dr Kelly told The AJN: “I believe this says all that needed to be said given our clear policy and statements by the Government on the Middle East peace process.”

In his speech, Dr Kelly stressed that heated debate using extreme language was not the “path to peace”.

“In speaking to the resolution I called on our Labor movement to contribute to the process of moving forward rather than wasting energy looking back, and using all our endeavours and opportunities to help achieve a peaceful outcome.

“Those interested in this issue know well that the broad outlines of a solution are there and we must now find a way to take it the final mile.”

He added that social democrats, such as ALP members, must keep up the fight against Islamic extremism “given its fundamental denial of human rights, its tenets of gender inequity and intolerance of social and religious diversity”.

Meanwhile, Mundine -– who has visited Israel twice, including most recently with Julia Gillard on the Australia Israel Cultural Exchange-organised trip -– hit out at people who claim to be friends of Palestine, but who did not work towards peaceful ends.

“If they are real friends, they have got to work with Israelis, work with Palestinians,” he told The AJN.

“I’m very optimistic things can happen. Real friends work in conversation and urge each other forward to the peace process.”

Last month, Mundine visited the West Bank for the second time. He said he was pleased to see increased economic activity and improved governance structures: “It was a hell of a lot better than it was in when I visited in 2006.”

He said these two areas -– governance and economic activity -– were the key to peace.

“If those things work together that will lessen the tension, it will give people jobs. It will give people a future and people will have a stake in the area, which will help in the process to peace.”