"The NSW Greens have taken to having their own shade of foreign policy. That's up to them. It was a mistake. I differ with Lee on that and she knows that and so do the other components of the NSW Greens who handled so badly that part of the campaign against my advice."

But on 23 March 2011, on camera in the Senate, in opposing a notice of motion put forward by the Coalition, Senator Brown supported exactly this policy: ISRAEL: BOYCOTTS Senator FIFIELD (Victoria-Manager of Opposition

Business in the Senate) (4.06 pm)-I move: That the Senate- (a) notes: (i) the boycott of Israel instigated by Marrickville Council - part of the Global Boycott Divestments and Sanctions (GBDS) - banning any links with Israeli organisations or organisations that support Israel and prohibiting any academic, government, sporting or cultural exchanges with Israel, (ii) letters from Marrickville Council to Members of Parliament asking them to support the GBDS, and (iii) reports of the intention of the Greens Marrickville Mayor, Ms Fiona Byrne, to seek to extend the boycott of Israel to the entire state of New South Wales; (b) acknowledges that Israel is a legitimate and democratic state and a good friend of Australia; and (c) denounces the Israeli boycott by Marrickville Council and condemns any expansion of it. Question agreed to.

Senator BOB BROWN (Tasmania-Leader of the Australian Greens) (4.06 pm)-I ask that the Australian Greens' opposition to this motion be recorded. Senator Brown repeatedly campaigned with and talked up Fiona Byrne, the Greens Candidate and BDS proponent in Marrickville.

He can't run away from his support for the NSW Greens BDS policy now.

Nor can he run away from the anti-Israel leaning of his utterances on Israel over the years. And this is the Leader of the Party in alliance with Labor, which Labor deliberately courted and preferenced in the state seat of Marrickville .