Aussie Bagel: Sydney local council to partner Bethlehem

Saturday, 16 June 2007

Sydney local council to partner Bethlehem

A SYDNEY municipal council is set to establish a controversial sister-city relationship with a Palestinian town, despite protests from Jewish community leaders.

A Marrickville Council subcommittee this week voted unanimously to back the twin-city pairing with Bethlehem, just weeks after Leichhardt Council established similar ties with Hebron.

The move may see ratepayers’ funds go towards the sister-city project, and the hosting of a visit to Australia later this year by Bethlehem Mayor Victor Bataresh, who opposes a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff tried to persuade the council – unsuccessfully – that the sister-city plan effectively signalled support for Hamas.

“The real concern is that this is a partisan initiative, which ignores the realities on the ground – that it is a relationship with a town that is controlled by a terrorist organisation,” Alhadeff said.

Addressing the council on Tuesday, Alhadeff emphasised that the majority of the Bethlehem’s seats are controlled by Hamas and allied parties, including Islamic Jihad.

“Will Marrickville seek an assurance that no Hamas members will be included in a Bethlehem delegation [to Sydney]?

Funds from this Council could end up in Hamas coffers, supporting terrorism,” Alhadeff told the committee.

Waverley Mayor George Newhouse expressed similar concerns, stating he was “horrified” to hear about the relationship that Marrickville Council was embarking on with Bethlehem.

“I don’t think this is the place of local government to be getting involved in international politics in this way. It is highly inappropriate and highly disappointing.” Newhouse is drafting a letter to Marrickville Council to “seriously urge them to reconsider ... councillors must be really careful that if they are doing this [getting involved with other countries], they are not dealing with people with blood on their hands”.

Marrickville councillor Sam Iskandar, who chaired the meeting on Tuesday, said that ratepayers’ money would go only towards funding the twinning agreement and a reception for the Bethlehem mayor. He added that motivations for the sister-city program were peaceful.

“We are not supporting the violence. The idea to educate people about peace and harmony and exchange social experiences,” he said.

Marrickville Mayor Morris Hanna added: “We shouldn’t interfere in religion or politics with this. It’s not our business.We’re just trying to build relationships with people.

We have speakers all the time, and [the Bethlehem mayor is] just like any other.” Marrickville Council has had an “in principle” sister-city relationship with Bethlehem since 2001.

The proposal will go before the full council next week. The motion follows a pairing between Leichhardt Council and
the Palestinian city of Hebron last month, which is currently being revisited due to protests from Jewish activists in Sydney’s inner-west.

References:
AJN: Sydney local council to partner Bethlehem