THE head of the Maritime Union of Australia has distanced himself and his union from an allegedly anti-Semitic advertisement linking Israel's statehood to "racism and ethnic cleansing", after his Sydney branch endorsed the ad.

Paddy Crumlin, the MUA's national secretary, said the advertisement published in The Australian last month had used "an appalling choice of words".

The MUA was among people and organisations endorsing the ad's condemnation of a motion by the Australian parliament congratulating Israel on its establishment 60 years ago.

But Mr Crumlin said the inclusion of the MUA by its Sydney branch secretary, Warren Smith, represented neither the union's position nor Mr Crumlin's. "I would be the last person to equate the establishment of Israel with racism and ethnic cleansing," he said. "That was an appalling choice of words."

The MUA chief spoke out after his union and the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union were singled out for criticism in an influential American-Jewish online newsletter for endorsing the anti-Israeli ad. Stuart Appelbaum, president of the giant US Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union wrote in the Jewish daily Forward that the two left-wing Australian unions were part of increasing "anti-Semitism cloaked under the veil of anti-Zionism" among the Left abroad. The MUA's inclusion especially embarrassed Mr Crumlin, considering he deals regularly with Israeli union officials and Palestinian officials in his other role as vice-president of the International Transport Workers Federation.

The ad has deeply offended Australia's Jewish community for its inflammatory references to racism and genocide.

But the CFMEU is standing firmly behind its participation, authorised by NSW branch secretary Andrew Ferguson, and the union's national secretary, John Sutton, has even stepped up his rhetoric. In his latest online message to CFMEU members, Mr Sutton singles out Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Howes for attack after the AWU leader claimed those who endorsed the anti-Israeli ad were "lining up" with terrorist group Hamas.

President of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies David Knoll said he was pleased the MUA had dissociated itself from the ad, and offered to sit down with any union wanting to understand the Jewish perspective.

-

Original