A long-distance affair: an overview of Australian-Israeli relations

ABSTRACT

Australia played an important role in the acceptance of the November 1947 UN Partition Resolution underpinning the establishment of the State of Israel, recognising the nascent Jewish state in January 1949 and presiding over its admission to the UN four months later. In subsequent decades, the two states have developed a close and warm relationship (albeit not without the odd political disagreement) and multifaceted political, economic, technological, and strategic collaboration. This article explores the nature and characteristics of this relationship as it evolved the past seven decades in an attempt to determine its underlying causes and most important driving forces.

KEYWORDS:

• Israel
• Australia
• bilateral relations
• Robert Menzies
• Scott Morrison
• Malcolm Fraser
• Bob Hawke
• Paul Keating
• Julia Gillard
• John Howard
• Tony Abbott
• Malcolm Turnbull

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. “PM Netanyahu Holds Working Meeting.”

2. Rubenstein and Fleischer, “A Distant Affinity.”

3. Mandel, HV Evatt and the Establishment of Israel.

4. See note 2 above.

5. Ibid.

6. “United Nations Security Council Resolution 242.”

7. Karsh, “Saddam and the Palestinians.”

8. “Australia and the Middle East Conflict.”

9. UN General Assembly, “Resolution 3237.”

10. See note 8 above.

11. “PM Transcripts: Fraser Malcolm.”

12. See note 2 above.

13. AIJAC, “Honoring Prime Minister John Howard,” 4.

14. Kenway, “Why the Australian state supports Israel.”

15. “Hamas to blame for provoking Israel.”

16. “Report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission”; and Shapiro, “Australia opposes Goldstone Report.”

17. Smiles and Laherty, “Turnbull Supports Israeli Response.”

18. Among the Council’s permanent members, France, Russia, and China voted in favour of the resolution while Britain abstained.

19. Panda, “Australia Votes ‘No’ On Palestinian Draft Resolution.”

20. “Speech, 15 Dec 2018, Sydney.”

21. Morrison’s Press Conference, NSW, Feb. 2, 2022, PM Transcripts.

22. Rubinstein, The Jews of Australia, 25.

23. Crown, “Demography, politics and love of Zion”; and Gouttman, “Anti-Semitism in Australia.”

24. Reich, Australia and Israel, 12.

25. Ibid., 38.

26. See note 14 above.

27. Australian Jewish News, June 5, 2009.

28. Markus et al., “Report Series.”

29. Morrison, “Statement on Indulgence.”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Justyna Łapaj-Kucharska

Justyna Łapaj-Kucharska is a research assistant at the Institute of Political Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland