Melbourne University Press has just released a new book by Dr Halim Rane and Dr Eulalia Han,… Making Australian Foreign Policy on Israel-Palestine:
This book examines the domestic factors that shape Australia…’s foreign policy on the Israel-Palestine conflict. These domestic factors, which include the mass media, public opinion, lobby groups and business groups are analysed using a multi-method approach. The content of almost 10,000 articles concerning the conflict published in two of Australia…’s leading newspapers over an 11-year period was analysed based on a framing perspective. A national survey with a sample of 1021 respondents was conducted in order to identify Australian attitudes, understandings and public opinion on the conflict. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with pro-Israel and pro-Palestine lobbyists as well as representatives from Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce and Arab Australia Chamber of Commerce. The findings of these various studies were then further examined in relation to in-depth interviews conducted with current and former diplomats and politicians from both major political parties in order to identify their particular potential to influence foreign policy.
I was happy to provide an endorsement for this important new book:
It’s vital to understand why Australia is one of the most blindly pro-Israel nations in the world and who convinces politicians and policy makers to support Zionist aggression and occupation. This important book goes a long way to answer these questions and explains how out of touch Canberra is with the vast bulk of global public opinion. Read this vital text to understand why Australia is on the wrong side of history.