The Government Press Release on 3 May 2016 states: “Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee will today arrive in Stuttgart, Germany, following his first visit to NZ Defence Force (NZDF) troops at South Camp in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights in Israel.”
Although the international community views the Golan Heights as belligerently-Occupied territory, the New Zealand Government appears to take sides with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated at a Cabinet meetingin April that “after 50 years, the time has come for the international community to finally recognise that the Golan Heights will remain under Israel’s sovereignty permanently.” Syria is awaiting return of its territory, which continues to be monitored by UN peacekeeping forces.
The Press Release reads: “New Zealand is committed to international peacekeeping and peace monitoring efforts . . .” It is time our Government lived up to its claim. There is still time for our voice to be heard at the Security Council in defence of all those victims of Israel’s territorial ambitions, particularly the Palestinian people, who look to us to bring Israel to account. Continued silence will only contribute to Middle East instability and the further erosion of respect for international law.
Leslie Bravery www.palestine.org.nz
