Thread by @jommy_tee

THREAD:

A few words about the early history of Australian journos and politicians going on junkets funded by various arms of the Israel lobby.

The v good article by @crikey_news in November 2023 (updated mid-Dec 2023) listed the names of various Australian journos and politicians who've gone on relatively recent "journalists' missions" and assorted "fellowships" to Israel

The article is here:

crikey.com.au/2023/11/03/aus…

@crikey_news Reading the article I was struck by the many years and decades the Israel lobby has attempted to influence the Australian media and politicians.

@crikey_news As the Crikey article notes the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies own website states:

“For about 25 years, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) has been inviting senior media personnel to take part in the annual journalists’ study tour of Israel,”

@crikey_news However, that appears to be a gross underestimation of when the JBD "journalists' missions" started.

Digging through a few archives we can go back at least 41 years .... to at least 1983 when the JBD trips apparently first commenced.

@crikey_news The 1983 starting date is confirmed in this Australian Jewish Times (AJT) article (24/3/1989)....which helpfully advises us that:

"This year's tour (1989) will be seventh since this Board-sponsored initiative was inaugurated in 1983."

@crikey_news An earlier AJT article (24/5/1984) heralds some of the first journos to go on a JBD "mission".

@crikey_news "Women’s Weekly editor, Dawn Swain, SunHerald deputy editor, Tony Stephens and Radio 2GB current affairs broadcaster, Stephen O’Doherty, were guests of the Board at a small lunch organised on their return."

@crikey_news Moving forward in time, 2003 to be precise, the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) then also got in on the act in also, hosting its Rambam Israel Fellowship program

@crikey_news Rambam extended the cohort of people being influenced to also include:

* politicians, political advisers, senior public servants and student leaders.

The Australian Jewish News (AJN) on 28/11/2003 proclaimed that "eight future leaders" went on the first trip.

@crikey_news Eight future leaders is of course a big claim - well it appears for once the headline was (semi) accurate.

Worthy of mention amongst the 8:

* Scott Morrison (then NSW Lib Party sec)
* Bill Shorten (then AWU nat sec)
* Christopher Minns (then NSW Ministerial adviser)

@crikey_news The others, well you can read about them here:

@crikey_news Within the space of a two years, the AIJAC was proclaiming it had sent 50 political influencers and future leaders on sponsored and funded trips to Israel.

This 2005 AJN article tells us who were amongst the first 50 fellows of Rambam.

@crikey_news Some very influential names - not only for that time period but well into the next decade and a half.

And the trips continued.

Here's the 2007 cohort (source: DFAT "Australia & Israel: A Pictorial History")

@crikey_news Not to be outdone Peter Dutton went on a Rambam junket in 2008.

@crikey_news Roll forward to today and of course the trips continue on an annual basis.

This brings me back to the Crikey article, which has a very lengthy list of Israel junketeers, ostensibly from 2010 onwards.

@crikey_news The point being the list is not exhaustive, and some quite prominent names aren't on it.

Names that continue to hold sway in shaping political opinion today.

@crikey_news While I can't tell you the names of all the of the politicians, journos and advisers who have been Israeli tripsters.

I can tell you that the sponsored and funded travel has been happening since at least 1983.......41 years of influence peddling.