Australian About Face Shows: The Times They Are a’Changin’

http://mitchellplitnick.com/2012/11/28/australian-about-face-shows-the-times-they-are-achangin/

Australian About Face Shows: The Times They Are a’Changin’

November 28, 2012 by Mitchell Plitnick

Australia has long been one of the countries that often, though not always, have voted in the United Nations General Assembly with the United States and Israel in votes

Australian PM Julia Gillard and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu

overwhelmingly going against them. It had been made clear by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard that this would be the case again. She promised that Australia would oppose the rather tepid resolution the Palestinians are bringing to the general Assembly to upgrade their status to Non-Member Observer.
But her “best” intentions were thwarted by a revolt within her own party, Labor, when her cabinet ministers warned her that Labor’s parliamentary caucus would vote against her decision to support the Israeli position and that this could cause a crisis that might even bring down her government. So, Gillard has decided that Australia will abstain in the UN vote.