P.M. John Howard’s award

 Andrew MacGregor

15 May 2006

The Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, has travelled to Washington with his wife.  In the Australian media there is no mention that this trip is in fact for Howard to be the recipient of the B’nai B’rith’s ‘International Presidential Gold Medal’ the B’nai B’rith’s highest award. 

The Australian media simply state that the Australian Prime Minister is on yet another ‘Business trip’.  The local yokel would think that the International recognition of our Prime Minister’s efforts would warrant a higher praise than ‘simply a business trip to Washington ’.

The Jewish report states that the Australian Prime Minister is to receive his award for his; “Outstanding support of Israel and the Jewish people.”  Now that is interesting.  I have never heard of the Australian Prime Minister actively supporting Israel , in fact he appears to be rather mute on that subject.  Nor have I ever heard of the Prime Minister actively supporting the Jewish residents of Australia , other than the normal support he would give to all Australians.

If the B’nai B’rith’s award is in fact for such support, then it would appear that the support was more covert than overt, and perhaps that is why our media is rather mute on this particular subject. 

You see I doubt that John Howard’s support and friendship of the media mogul, Rupert Murdock as demonstrated in Britain last year just prior to the London Bombing.  Of course John Howard had also visited his good friend, Rupert Murdock in September 2001 when he was again in Washington on the morning of 911, and it was John Howard who addressed the Australian people from Washington and made the statement that; “America had suffered another Pearl Harbour’, a requirement penned by a neo-con in the late 1990’s.

But this award is not being presented by Rupert Murdock, but by the Washington based B’nai B’rith, so what does the Australian branch of this organisation state?  Well, according to James Altman, John Howard and his government has been a beacon against anti-semitism.  But that is not correct.

You see Australians have never been anti-sematic per se, and any eruptions of anti-semitism have always been routed out by the likes of AIJAC’s Jeremy Jones.  Australian laws in regard to Racial Discrimination are a State issue, not a Federal issue, so again James Altman’s comments are not convincing.  The Prime Minister’s ability to act in regard to ‘anti-semitism’ is in fact well restricted and thus cannot be construed as the reason for receiving such a valued recognition.

Nor can the award be for the promotion of Jewish interests within the political sphere, as that recognition must go to Howard’s deputy, Peter Costello who has been battling for the past three years to oust the former Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett’s clique and replace them with a more Jewish flavour, which was accomplished with the removal of the Leader of the Opposition in Victoria, Robert Doyle and replacing him with Ted Bailleau, a member of the Myer Dynasty.  This must have pleased Mark Leibler no end as he is part of the Myer Organisation in Melbourne .

So, should we consider the ‘Security of Israel’?  It has been noted that the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard has recently reiterated his stance on Israel citing, “the government's "steadfast" commitment to a "safe and secure Israel ".  Of course when the Former Australian leader of the Federal Opposition, Simon Crean felt his position was threatened he too travelled to Melbourne and attended a Jewish meeting where he also made the same commitment to Israel , but that was not sufficient to save his political career.  The Labor Party was still threatened with the withdrawal of financial support from the Jewish sector, and Simon Crean was sacked and replaced by Mark Latham.

Now these comments have negated all the overt reasons for the Australian Prime Minister to be granted his prestigious award from the B’nai B’rith.  Let us now consider the covert reasons.

In the push for gun control in Australia , which dates back to 1984, one of the more recognised faces was that of former Executive Council of Australian Jewry president, Jeremy Jones of Sydney .  However, this ideology emanates not from Israel , but from the United Nations, and from the American Republican Party’s William Jefferson Clinton, to which the Australian Labor Party was the major instigator.  With players such as Rebecca Peters, Roland Browne, John Crook, Michael Tate, Duncan Kerr, Daryl Smeaton, Samantha Lee, Professor Simon Chapman, and Professor Bret Inder, in reality the parts played by the Prime Minister, John Howard and his Attorney General, Daryl Williams was minuscule, and would not have been considered worthy of such an award.

And so we move onto the ‘War on Terrorism’ of which John Howard has been a staunch fast supporter.  No matter the truth or the lie, John Howard never deviated from his required agenda.  From the day that Johnny Howard witnessed for himself from his hotel room in Washington DC the calamity that was 911, to the invasion of Afghanistan, supported by Australian troops, and the invasion of Iraq, again using Australia’s military support, army navy and air-force, the Australian Prime Minister has supported not only Israel’s security, but also the B’nai B’rith’s total agenda.

But herein lies the rub.  In an article written by James D. Besser and Larry Cohler-Esses in the Jewish Week ( New York ) they stated:

“Bush's repeated, sometimes exclusive, focus on Israel could spark public fury against the Jewish state and Jews if U.S. military action is accompanied by skyrocketing gas prices, terrorism at home or fallen G.I.'s who might be seen as dying for Israel, some said.” 

In other words, the very reasons why the Australian Prime Minister is receiving his B’nai B’rith award, is the exact same reason why the American President, George W Bush is being rapped across the knuckles.  The only difference is that Bush cites Israel , while Howard is simply mute on the Israel connection.

And so little Johnny Howard is to receive his award, be it a reward or otherwise, for this award is like a rose, it has a thorn.  Two previous Australian Prime Ministers have been recipients of this award, Malcolm Fraser and Robert Hawke.  Shortly after receiving their most prestigious award from the B’nai B’rith, both Prime Ministers lost office.  One thus wonders if John Howard will have the same demise as Robert Hawke, to be betrayed by their Treasurer.

One would also wonder if the friendship that John Howard has with that bastion of Zionist Supremacy Rupert Murdock will be enough to save him from such a demise?

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NATIONAL (MAY 8, 2006)

PM to receive B'nai B'rith's top honour

Gedaliah Afterman

PRIME Minister John Howard will be presented the prestigious B'nai B'rith international Presidential Gold Medal for his "outstanding" support of Israel and the Jewish people at a ceremony in Washington on Tuesday, May 16.

A spokesperson for the prime minister told the AJN that Howard was "deeply honoured" by the award, and that " Australia 's consistent support for the State of Israel is based on principle and a profound respect for the courage and achievements of the Jewish people".

B'nai B'rith Australia/New Zealand president James Altman said: "In a world where many countries are demonising Israel , which is leading to antisemitism in those countries, John Howard and his government have been a beacon of light against that trend."

Howard's commitment to Israel and the Jewish community was also the topic of an address last week to the American Jewish Committee (AJC), in which he praised Australian Jewry's "invaluable contribution" to the broader community, and reiterated the government's "steadfast" commitment to a "safe and secure Israel ".

In a congratulatory video message screened at the AJC's 100th annual meeting in Washington , Howard said the Australian Jewish community "plays a major role in strengthening the friendship between Australia and Israel and in bringing us closer to our allies".

Congratulating the AJC for its accomplishments on human-rights issues and the advancement of inter-faith relations, the PM stated: "The international Jewish community and the state of Israel have no closer friends than Australia and the United States ."

Howard, who last visited Israel in 2000, is tipped to return to the Jewish State as early as July, following an invitation from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Last year, Howard completed a rare trifecta by receiving awards from three organisations in recognition of his support for Jewish causes: Sydney 's Jewish Communal Appeal, the AJC and the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce.

A strong Australian delegation at the AJC conference included Mark Leibler, who is national chairman of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), an AJC affiliate; AIJAC executive director Dr Colin Rubenstein, who presented a session on opportunities for strengthening ties with South-East Asia; and former Executive Council of Australian Jewry president and current AIJAC director of international affairs Jeremy Jones, who gave a presentation on antisemitism. Six representatives of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students were also present.

 

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