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Speaker 1: From the Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey.

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Speaker 1: It's Thursday, February twelve, twenty twenty six. Liberal MPs will

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Speaker 1: vote on a new leader after Susan Lee's catastrophic poll

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Speaker 1: numbers prompted rival Angus Taylor to quit the front bench

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Speaker 1: and declare something has to change. Lee oversaw an embarrassing

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Speaker 1: split and then a fragile reunification of the coalition, and

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Speaker 1: on Wednesday night Taylor began the process that's become so

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Speaker 1: familiar in Canberra, ambitious rivals doing the numbers ahead of

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Speaker 1: a ballot. We're covering all the drama live at the

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Speaker 1: Australian dot Com dot au twenty four seven. Visiting heads

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Speaker 1: of state are supposed to be greeted with handshakes, happy

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Speaker 1: snaps and rounds of applause. Instead, Israeli President Isaac Hertzog

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Speaker 1: spent the week dodging protests amid a loud debate about

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Speaker 1: racist chance and police riot control. Tac Today Chief International

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Speaker 1: correspondent Cameron Stewart joins me to ask did the whole

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Speaker 1: visit blow up in Anthony Albanese's face and why don't

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Speaker 1: the protesters march in the streets when say Iran massacres

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Speaker 1: its own civilians.

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Speaker 2: That's today's story.

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Speaker 1: Cameron Stewart is the Australian's chief international correspondent and he's

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Speaker 1: here to talk about a week that was supposed to

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Speaker 1: be a reset of the Australia Israel relationship. Cam Anthony

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Speaker 1: Albanezi invited President Isaac Hertzel to Australia in an attempt

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Speaker 1: to show the Jewish community that he understood how felt

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Speaker 1: after the Bondi massacre of December fourteen and everything that's followed.

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Speaker 1: Has it worked as a reset?

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Speaker 3: A full reset is overstating the case. It was always

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Speaker 3: going to be a big call. I think it has

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Speaker 3: partially worked. I think it has definitely been a visit

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Speaker 3: that's been worthwhile, even though we've had some incredibly disruptive

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Speaker 3: protests and lots of invective, if you like, from opponents

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Speaker 3: of his visit. But I think the Israeli president has

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Speaker 3: come with message of conciliation for the Albernese government, which

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Speaker 3: is what the Albanese government wanted to hear, and Anthony Albernesi,

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Speaker 3: in turn, has been very respectful and very supportive of

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Speaker 3: mister Hertzog's visit and saying that it is important. He's

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Speaker 3: backed it all the way through, despite the process.

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Speaker 4: And I would say to everyone in this chamber and outside,

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Speaker 4: as I have said repeatedly, we need to turn the

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Speaker 4: temperature down in this country. We need to turn it

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Speaker 4: right down.

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Speaker 3: I think there is the start of a reset between

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Speaker 3: the government and Israel. Obviously you can't have a complete

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Speaker 3: reset while Benjamin Etna who is the Prime Minister, because

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Speaker 3: he and Albernezi have clashed personally in very vitriolic terms.

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Speaker 3: So can they only be a partial reset?

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Speaker 1: Yes, you mentioned the protests, and early in the week

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Speaker 1: we saw probably exactly what the protesters wanted, lots of

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Speaker 1: news and lots of attention on a big clash between

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Speaker 1: police and protesters, particularly in Sydney. At one point police

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Speaker 1: can be seen repeatedly punching a protester on the ground.

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Speaker 4: This is twenty eight year old Jace Turner, who has

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Speaker 4: been charged and is accused of biting a police officer.

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Speaker 1: That was after the New South Wales Supreme Court throughout

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Speaker 1: a challenge by the Palestine Action Group to new New

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Speaker 1: South Wales laws that restricted their right to protest in

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Speaker 1: certain parts of the city. How did it look internationally

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Speaker 1: for Australia to be hosting the Israeli president against that

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Speaker 1: backdrop of violent Stree protest.

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Speaker 3: Look, I mean, those protests were always going to happen,

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Speaker 3: and the rights and wrongs of the protests in Sydney,

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Speaker 3: you know, are being debated, but the bottom line is

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Speaker 3: that group of protesters tried to march and they weren't

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Speaker 3: allowed to under the court laws, and so that's when

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Speaker 3: the clashes happened, you know, and it was headline grabbing. Absolutely.

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Speaker 3: It's interesting though that the president Israeli president said he

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Speaker 3: believes the silent majority of Australians understand Israel's desire to

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Speaker 3: have a better relationship with Australia, understand the tragedy of

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Speaker 3: the Jewish attacking Bondai. In other words, he's saying that

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Speaker 3: he believes that these protesters who came out actually represent

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Speaker 3: a minority of Australians. And it's interesting, Claire, with these protests,

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Speaker 3: they've come out in reasonable size and numbers during the

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Speaker 3: president's visit, but we didn't see these protesters at all

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Speaker 3: when the flower of Iran's youth was being slaughtered on

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Speaker 3: the streets of Iran by a repressive theological regime.

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Speaker 5: Iran's Supreme leader admitted thousands have been killed since the

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Speaker 5: protests began.

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Speaker 2: Most who have died are believed to be under thirty.

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Speaker 3: These were innocent Muslim civilians dying, and yet did not

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Speaker 3: hear a peep from these protesters, and yet they're out

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Speaker 3: here because it's Israel. Mister Hurstlock said that he believes

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Speaker 3: that is anti Semitism. It's an example of it, and

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Speaker 3: you can go beyond that. Actually, you can look at

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Speaker 3: other Middle Eastern countries where there's been innocent civilians killed,

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Speaker 3: Muslim civilians, Yemen, Irak, Syria, again no protests. It does

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Speaker 3: make some interesting questions about why this is so much

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Speaker 3: the fashion to protest in relation to Palestine and Israel.

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Speaker 1: At those protests we heard the chance again from the

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Speaker 1: river to the sea and globalize the intera Fata. One

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Speaker 1: person chanting that was Grace Tame, the former Australian of

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Speaker 1: the Year, prompting controversy about whether or not she should

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Speaker 1: be stripped of that honor. Chris means the new Southwest

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Speaker 1: Premia has not been able to ban that phrase, and

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Speaker 1: the protest is clearly we're taunting him with that on

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Speaker 1: the steps of the town hall. I thought that was

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Speaker 1: a distressing scene in the circumstances where six weeks ago

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Speaker 1: he whilst fifteen members.

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Speaker 3: Of the Jewish community to.

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Speaker 1: Hate crime, a violent terrorst authorizing and that's what the

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Speaker 1: consequences of globalize the inter Fara mean, are violent uprising

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Speaker 1: in Sydney's streets. She can defend it, saying I think

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Speaker 1: it was terrible.

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Speaker 2: Words I have.

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Speaker 1: What do you think about where we go now in

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Speaker 1: terms of banning phrases and certain strings of words. Are

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Speaker 1: we going to get there or do you think it's

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Speaker 1: evident now that it's not going to be possible.

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Speaker 3: It's very hard to see how it is possible, really.

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Speaker 3: I mean, when you have that many people having phrases

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Speaker 3: like throw it to the sea and globalizing the Father,

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Speaker 3: they argue these are contested phrases. I think they're fundamentally

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Speaker 3: offensive phrases for the Jewish community and it would be

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Speaker 3: much better to have them banned in my opinion, But

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Speaker 3: I just don't know how that can really be enforced.

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Speaker 3: I think we're seeing precisely what would happen in this

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Speaker 3: situation is that protesters will come out and they will

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Speaker 3: actually chant those towards anyway.

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Speaker 1: Australia hosts heads of state and foreign dignitaries all the time,

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Speaker 1: and there are sort of various levels of honor that

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Speaker 1: you can afford a visiting head of state. Probably the

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Speaker 1: highest level is welcoming that person to a joint sitting

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Speaker 1: a federal parliament where they're allowed to address both chambers

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Speaker 1: of politicians at the same time. Chinese President Shi Jinping

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Speaker 1: did that in twenty fourteen, and before him Chinese leader

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Speaker 1: Fu Jintao, the President of the People's Republic of China.

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Speaker 2: Ending the other person lead the right.

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Speaker 1: Many other leaders have also been afforded that honor. Isaac

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Speaker 1: Herzog was not. He got a few moments in Parliament

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Speaker 1: House which was handshake in a courtyard, and then there

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Speaker 1: was a tree flanting ceremony at the Israeli embassy. Has

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Speaker 1: Australia insulted him by omission? Do you think they're no?

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Speaker 3: I think actually that's the only way that he could visit.

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Speaker 3: It's been such a devisive topic in Australia the war

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Speaker 3: in Gaza are not since the Vietnam War has the

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Speaker 3: country been so divided about an overseas conflict. He's coming

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Speaker 3: here after two years of terrible anti semitism in this country,

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Speaker 3: and you just simply could not have him being on

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Speaker 3: the floor of the Parliament with the Greens there for example,

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Speaker 3: or maybe cross benches or maybe members of the public

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Speaker 3: gallery yelling out embarrassing him. I think it was prudent

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Speaker 3: that was the case. But yes, you're right, it means

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Speaker 3: he doesn't get the full honors, if you like, not

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Speaker 3: because the government doesn't want to give it. I don't think.

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Speaker 3: I think it's simply because it's just you don't want

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Speaker 3: to embarrass the president and you have to be very scripted,

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Speaker 3: and it was a very scripted visit and I think

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Speaker 3: it's the only way they could have done it, frankly.

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Speaker 1: Coming up, Isaac Hertzog is a political opponent of Benjamin Netanya,

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Speaker 1: who and the equivalent of Australia's governor general. So why

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Speaker 1: the rage?

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Speaker 2: Israeli President Isaac Kurzog made his first of an official

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Speaker 2: visit to Zambia on Monday.

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Speaker 1: He's a labor politician in the opposite party to Benjamin Netna,

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Speaker 1: who the Prime Minister of Israel. Do you think there's

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Speaker 1: a failure among maybe the protest movement and even beyond that,

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Speaker 1: to understand what the President of Israel actually does and

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Speaker 1: who this person is.

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Speaker 3: I think there is I don't think many people realize

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Speaker 3: he has no part in policymaking at all in Israel.

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Speaker 3: And the president has generally backed the government during the

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Speaker 3: conflicting gars because that's his role. In a time of

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Speaker 3: peril for Israel. He can't really be affording to take

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Speaker 3: on his own government, you know. But yes, he is

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Speaker 3: a governor general type figure. He's a head of state.

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Speaker 3: And I think the protests against him coming to Australia

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Speaker 3: were misguided precisely because of that. I mean, he was

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Speaker 3: coming as the head of the only Jewish homeland to

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Speaker 3: comfort Australia's Jewish community after the Massacarem Bondi and after

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Speaker 3: frankly two years of anti Semitism, and that's why he

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Speaker 3: was here.

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Speaker 5: Anti Semitism here in Australia is not a Jewish problem.

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Speaker 5: It is an Australian problem and a global problem. Over

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Speaker 5: the generations, one thing has become clear. Hatred that starts

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Speaker 5: with the Jews never ends with the.

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Speaker 3: Jews, and people who opposed that are really saying to

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Speaker 3: the Jewish community, you don't deserve to have the head

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Speaker 3: of state of Israel come and comfort your community. And

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Speaker 3: you know, I think that's a fairly cruel perspective, and

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Speaker 3: that's something which I think the opponents of his visit

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Speaker 3: just didn't take into account. I just didn't care about.

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Speaker 1: I've heard some analysts saying that if Anthony Albanesi is

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Speaker 1: to visit Israel, there's no way he can do that

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Speaker 1: before Israel holds its elections.

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Speaker 6: Israeli elections have to take place by October twenty seventh

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Speaker 6: of twenty twenty six, according to the Knesset rules, and

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Speaker 6: it means that Benjamin Natanya, who may make all of

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Speaker 6: this four year term, and that almost never happens in

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Speaker 6: Israeli politics those two elections.

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Speaker 1: Of course, Benjaminina, who will likely be seeking reelection, He's

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Speaker 1: already asked President Isaac Hurtzel for a preemptive pardon for

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Speaker 1: various corruption charges that he's facing. Benjamin ntiniou that he denies.

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Speaker 1: What do you think about the prospects of Albanesi going

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Speaker 1: to Israel anytime soon?

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Speaker 3: I think it would be great if he did go

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Speaker 3: to Israel. I don't think it will happen under Benjamin Nannie.

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Speaker 3: I think the acrimonium between the two of them is

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Speaker 3: too strong. I don't think Nanniao would welcome Albanesi to

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Speaker 3: Israel at this point in time. But as you say,

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Speaker 3: elections coming up might be a different coalition. Who knows

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Speaker 3: if Nanna will be reelected, that could change the whole parameter.

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Speaker 1: Cameron Stewart, thank you very much, pleasure. Cameron Stewart is

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Speaker 1: The Australian's chief international correspondent. You can read all Cameron's

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Speaker 1: reporting and analysis, plus the best coverage of domestic and

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Speaker 1: world politics, anytime at the Australian dot com dot au