Australia and Israel : an ambigous relationship

On the surface, Australia seems to have always been a close friend of Israel, but, in fact, this has often not been the case. This text shows that during 1939–1941, the Menzies government was very hostile to the Jewish community of Palestine and put pressure on Britain to conduct a much harsher policy against Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe who wished to go to Palestine. This argues that, although Australia supported the establishment of the state of Israel, the Minister for External Affairs was prepared to sacrifice vital Israeli interests for personal gain. During the 1950s Australia supported pro-Arab and anti-Israel British and American policies. It was only when Israel collided with the British and the French against Egypt that Australia became pro-Israel.… (more)