The exclusive ‘US urges Australia over UN’s Israel vote’, published in Tuesday’s The Australian by Ben Packham, demands a response.

The article addresses a draft UN resolution advanced by the Palestinian Authority to be voted on in the General Assembly on Thursday (AEST). In essence the resolution demands immediate Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank in compliance with the 19 July ruling by the International Court of Justice. The US is reported to be urging its allies to reject the draft resolution or abstain from voting on it.

Whilst the article reported that the Albanese Government declined to comment on Australia’s intentions, it was more than prepared to publish the views of Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham. He called upon the government to oppose the draft resolution “without hesitation or ambiguity”. Such reasons as Birmingham gave do him and his shadow government no credit. Let us consider them.

First, it is said to be an extreme and one-sided resolution. But what could be extreme and one-sided about a resolution which simply seeks to........

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