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:: Saturday 1 November 2003 ::
Top Interview with Carr on the Sunday show
All about the kerfuffle over Hana Ashrawi and the award of the Sydney Peace Prize to her over objections from some parts of Sydney's Jewish community.
Bottom line, Carr says the approaches to him have been unfailing polite. Simply seeking his views and his thinking as to why he would award a peace prize to Ashrawi. Bottom line, he maintains that the presence of a Palestinian should not excite folks in the way they have been excited.
But while that is nice and it is even right, and it could apply to the Greens - the persence of Bush should not lead you inevitably to undertake a very public wank in Parliament - seems to me that it misses the point.
This Palestinian is one who does not encourage peace. To having her here to get a peace prize is appalling.
Not just having her here. Carr is quite right about that. I could not care less where she is. I am unlikely to bump into her in the back bar of my local pub. She is unlikely to be invited to the Pelham Street burnouts. Any speech she gives is unlikely to take place in my own loungeroom. Ergo, the fact she is here in Oz will not excite me per se.
But the fact she is here to get given a peace prize by an elected representative when she is not peaceful will excite me - enough to blog anyway.
And enough to excite other clear thinkers on this point.
Bob Carr has his view. And it is not the end of the world that Ashrawi gets the prize. But it is a prize given in error in my view and the view of plenty of others.
Robust democracy is right.
But, really, what is the point? It is a suck up to Palestinians in a misguided drive to be even-handed over the P/I battles.
Why be even-handed?
:: WB 3:39 pm [link+] ::
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