- Hi Jeff,
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- The Australian Foreign Minister visited Israel last week.
He said on the radio that 100,000 to 120,000 Israelis could emigrate to
Australia. Since then, all immigration agencies claim that their business
multiplied 10 folds!
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- The fascist/fanatic/religious right wing in Israel are
very very angry; as soon they would be the only people left in Israel to
massacre Moslems and steal their lands.
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- Practically ALL the non-religious youth of Israel has
already escaped out of Israel and/or are considering emigration. Most popular
countries; Australia, New Zealand, Canada.
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- AUSTRALIA, WE LOVE YOU, HERE WE COME ! I am enclosing
Israeli articles,
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- Yours, Gadi
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- http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=1879
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- Australian Embassy Flooded With Emigration Eequests
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- Maariv Online
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- Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's remarks
yesterday to Maariv that Australia welcomes quality Israeli immigrants
has generated a flood of enquiries to the Australian embassy in Tel Aviv.
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- Some MKs, primarily from right wing parties have come
out against the remarks, sayng Israel's raison d'etre is aliya (Jewish
immigration), not emigration.
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- http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=1828
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- Australian FM: Every Year We Absorb About 120,000 Immigrants.
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- The Friend From Australia
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- Australian Foreign Minister the Hon. Alexander Downer
arrived for a visit in Israel. In a special interview with Maariv he attacks
Arafat and supports the security fence. He also invites Israelis to come
live in his country.
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- By Ilil Shahar
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- Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says the
Australians like Israeli immigrants. Nor does the Australian government
mind the Israeli backpackers, who, when they run out of money, find cattle
ranches where they work illegally. To the contrary, the Australians even
want to institutionalize the phenomenon and allow Israelis aged 18-30 to
live in Australia for a year and work at various jobs. ?If we sign such
a mutual agreement with Israel, it will also allow young Australians who
want to go out and take a break to come work in Israel. And in addition,
we want other people to come to our country, see it and enjoy it. It would
be good to let people see our country, think it is a good place and not
just a backwater at the end of the world ? it?s good for us,? Downer said
to Ma?ariv yesterday, upon his arrival for a visit in Israel.
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- He says the problem of illegal workers is common in Australia,
and the Israelis are no exception. ?A lot of young people violate their
visa conditions and stay to work. When we find them, we send them back
to their countries?, he says.
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- Estimates at the Ministry of Immigration Absorption are
that some 20,000 Israelis live in Australia today. Yet, the Australian
embassy in Israel notes they are not all emigrants, and some have dual
citizenships. The high numbers do not deter the Australian foreign minister,
to the contrary. He says he welcomes Israeli immigration to Australia:
?We encourage Israelis to come to Australia, to visit or immigrate. If
Israelis want to immigrate to Australia, they are very welcome. We welcome
Israelis, especially young ones, who want to take that step. We have a
very orderly immigration plan and every year we absorb about 120,000 immigrants.
Our policy is not to discriminate ? people from any country in the world
can immigrate to Australia based on their skills. If Israelis want to immigrate,
we will welcome them as long as they meet the standards and withstand the
competition for immigration quotas with people from other countries,? Downer
said.
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- Supports security fence
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- The Australian foreign minister arrived in Israel for
a visit two days ago, six years after his previous visit. He does not hide
his sympathy towards Israel or his identification with the Israeli people?s
suffering because of the many terror attacks that occur here. ?Australia
has good relations with Israel, we like Israel, and we always wish Israel
well in the difficult environment it is in?. The Australian minister attacks
the Palestinian Authority and Yasser Arafat for not doing more to stop
terror: ?The PA has to do more to stop terrorists from crossing into Israel
to blow up buses and restaurants?. The Palestinian inaction justifies building
the fence, he says. ?The Israelis have the right to defend themselves and
the fence is a means. The government has no alternative ? if the PA does
not stop terrorism. The solution is to stop the suicide bombers with the
fence. Terror is not negotiable, it must stop. It is unacceptable for terrorists
to enter Israel and intentionally kill innocent people. This can not be
accepted by the international community?.
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- Because of what he calls the lack of fighting terror
on the Palestinian side and the lack of progress on the road map, as well
as because of Israel?s objection, Downer will not meet Arafat during his
visit. Because of that decision Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Allah announced
he would boycott the Australian minister?s visit and would not see him
during the visit. Yet, Downer does intend to visit the PA where he is scheduled
to go today and meet several ministers. ?Arafat is not acting to stop terror,
the process is not moving forward as it should, and the international community
has to unite around the need to accelerate the implementation of the road
map. We would like to see faster progress in the process, and Israel too
has to do its share and remove the illegal outposts as it promised?.
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- Downer declares that Australia will support Israel in
the matter of the fence at the court in Hague. ?We plan to submit a deposition
to the court where we will say that in our opinion the matter of the fence
is not a matter that should be discussed by the international court. It
is a political ploy by the Palestinians that is stopping the process and
the international court should not interfere in a political issue?.
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- He thinks many countries will submit depositions to the
court in support of Israel regarding discussion of the fence. ?You will
be surprised when you see how many countries submit depositions supporting
you and conveying the message that the court in Hague does not have the
authority to discuss the matter.?
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- Yet, he opposes the route of the fence and the fact that
it does not run along the Green Line. ?The route is provocative, and I
call on the Government of Israel to reconsider this issue. There is no
doubt the fence has to run closer to the Green Line and not encroach so
much through Palestinian land?. Downer has asked Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom to give him a tour of the fence so he can see it with his own eyes:
?I want to see the fence as well as the part that is a wall?.
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- The world is better without Saddam
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- Downer came to Israel, among other things, to reinforce
the security cooperation in the fight against terror. ?We have an ongoing
dialogue on security matters, and some of it has to do with the war against
terror. I do not want to go into all the details, but there is a start
and a good basis for cooperation of that sort. We and Israel have a lot
of experience in this matter?.
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- Downer notes that his country cooperates in the war against
terror with other countries. ?We are acting in cooperation with countries
in southeast Asia, mainly Indonesia. That cooperation strengthened after
the attack in Bali where we lost 88 people a year and a half ago?. He says
Australia also cooperates on issues of terror with Saudi Arabia, Jordan
and the United Emirates.
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- He says the war in Iraq was completely justified: ?The
world is a better place to live in without Saddam Hussein. How can you
argue with that when you see the tremendous change in terms of human rights
in Iraq? The war in Iraq was the right thing to do, and toppling the regime
of Saddam who tortured hundreds of thousands of his people was an important
step?.
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- ?As for the question of weapons of mass destruction,?
adds the Australian foreign minister, ?Iraq had WMD programs. Maybe the
evidence has not been found, but biological and chemical weapons can be
manufactured relatively easily. Iraq had aspirations for nuclear arms.
Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the surrounding countries, there is no
doubt of that. I am sure most of the people in Israel think so?.
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- The Maccabiah Disaster - An Accident?
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- Right after landing at Ben-Gurion Airport Downer went
to Ramat Gan to plant a tree in memory of the victims of the Maccabiah
disaster. ?I don?t think the Maccabiah disaster changed attitudes towards
Israel in Australia. It was a terrible disaster, a tragedy for the families.
But it is clear it was not intentional, everyone understands it was an
accident. There was apparently negligence in building the bridge, but there
is not a feeling in Australia that it was done on purpose. We view it as
an isolated incident.?
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- Australian Foreign Minister the Hon. Alexander Downer
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