Labor’s woes over Israel and Palestine have intensified with sitting MP Josh Wilson embroiled in the saga amid calls for his resignation.

The West Australian has obtained video of Mr Wilson, the Federal Member for Fremantle, describing Israeli checkpoints as “places you go to and you go to jail ... sometimes they are places you go to and you die”.

The revelation comes days after high-profile Labor candidate Melissa Parke was forced to quit after it was revealed she had told the inaugural meeting of the WA Labor for Palestine group she could “remember vividly” the case of “a pregnant refugee woman (who) was ordered at a checkpoint in Gaza to drink a bottle of bleach”.

Mr Wilson’s comments have outraged the Jewish community and prompted a rebuke from Israel’s ambassador in a rare intervention in domestic politics by a foreign representative during an election campaign.

Camera Icon The Labor meeting. Credit: Supplied

Israeli ambassador Mark Sofer said: “The obsession with demonising Israel, which thankfully is the domain of the few, does not at all help the Palestinians and serves only to hamper possible rapprochement in the Middle East”.

In the video, Mr Wilson says: “They are going to turn Palestine into Swiss cheese and that is what is happening.

“Checkpoints in Palestine are like holding pens or cattle runs.”

Mr Wilson, who holds his seat on a margin of 7.6 per cent, made the remarks to the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network at a fringe event on the sidelines of the ALP national conference last December.

Deputy Senate President Sue Lines was also present at the Labor for Palestine event and said Labor’s Israel-Palestine policy had stalled because of the lobbyists’ clout.

Executive director of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council Colin Rubenstein said Mr Wilson’s comments were “both insulting and insidious and should have no role in our national debate”.

“(Shadow treasurer) Chris Bowen appropriately repud-iated Melissa Parke for her inflammatory comments, which did not represent Labor’s positions and the Labor leadership similarly should also distance itself from the extreme, ignorant and unbalanced comments made by others, such as Josh Wilson on checkpoints or inflammatory attacks on the so-called ‘Israeli lobby’ by Senator Sue Lines,” he said.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said: “Views of the sort expressed by Mr Wilson strip the conflict of all context and fail to appreciate that Israel’s real security needs come in large part from dozens upon dozens of Palestinians coming through the very checkpoints of which he speaks to detonate themselves in Israeli cafes, nightclubs and restaurants — ripping thousands of Israeli lives apart.”

Mr Wilson was also present at the public meeting last month where Ms Parke said the way Israel treated Palestinians was “worse than the South African system of apartheid” and claimed a pregnant Palestinian refugee was forced to drink bleach.

Senator Lines and Mr Wilson declined to comment.

Camera Icon Fremantle Josh Wilson MP at the Labor Friends of Palestine launch. Credit: Supplied

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said Mr Wilson should resign.

“If Melissa Parke had to resign as the Labor candidate for Curtin because of her extreme anti-Israel views, why did Josh Wilson and Sue Lines not have to offer up their resignations at the same time,” Senator Cormann said.

“Bill Shorten must explain why his members and candidates are so divided on a key foreign policy question like this.”

Labor insiders yesterday told The West Australian they were “shocked” by how much Ms Parke’s rhetoric had intensified and thought all MPs and senators needed to be unified on this issue.

Another insider said Mr Wilson should face serious consequences.

Labor leader Bill Shorten and shadow foreign minister Penny Wong have maintained support for a two-state solution in the Middle East.

Yesterday, Mr Shorten said Mr Wilson and Senator Lines “support Labor’s policy”.

“Middle East politics is an issue many people have views about but Labor policy is clear,” the Opposition Leader said.

“Josh and Sue support Labor’s policy. Melissa Parke made a decision not to contest the election. We respect that.”

Camera Icon The Israeli checkpoint on the outskirts of the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Credit: EPA

Professor Bassam Dally, vice-president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, said he saw no issues with Mr Wilson’s comments.

“These people went there and they can call it the way they see it,” Professor Bassam said.

“The test for Australians and elected politicians — is do they have conviction and are they free to express their opinion and views. There is nothing wrong with that.”