The government has become an enabler of human rights abuses by Israel against Palestinians by staying silent as Israel attacks six Palestinian human rights organisations.
We are happy to roast Russia for its closure of human rights groups but won’t speak out about against the same abuses committed by Israel. It is hypocrisy writ large.
The European Union has spoken out about Israel’s latest outrages and even the US government has expressed concern but Aotearoa New Zealand has been silent – again and again and again.
We sent the letter below to the Minister of Foreign Affairs this morning. It is self explanatory.
The Palestinian human rights groups, whose only crime has been to report Israeli human rights abuses, which are legendary, are:
- Addameer, which supports Palestinian political prisoners
- Al-Haq, a human rights organisation that works with the United Nations.
- Union of Agricultural Work Committees
- Bisan Centre for Research and Development
- Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees
- Defense for Children International – Palestine.
Nā,
John Minto
National Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
Hon Nanaia Mahuta
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Parliament Buildings
Wellington
Kia ora Ms Mahuta,
Aotearoa New Zealand has become an enabler of human rights abuses by Israel
Last October the Israeli government declared six human rights organisations to be “terrorist” organisations and your government was silent. You looked the other way.
Last December the Russian High Court ordered the closure of two Russian human rights groups and you issued a tweet which condemned the Russian action.
In Last Thursday the Israeli military raided the six Palestinian human rights organisations referred to in the first paragraph, seized files and equipment and forced the closure of the offices. This is another outrageous abuse of human rights, for which the Israeli regime has become synonymous, but again your government has remained silent.
Why should we have to point out again and again the shameful hypocrisy of Aotearoa New Zealand’s calling out of human rights abuses?
Other countries have condemned the Israel’s actions, included the European Union, and even the US government has expressed concern but Aotearoa New Zealand has become an enabler for Israeli human rights abuses by not speaking out and holding Israel to account.
We reiterate that Israel will continue its massive human rights abuses against the Palestinian people as long as countries such as Aotearoa New Zealand remain silent. Silence is complicity.
Please respond to this letter without delay.
For people like me that have supported the Palestinian cause ever since I became politically active in the 70s, this pretty staggering really. It is the last major political oppression of the Cold War era that remains unresolved. The Berlin Wall went down fer crissakes. The IRA disarmed. But the Israeli State and Military, operating on a never ending flow of US Imperialist cash and arms keep on with their genocidal campaign on the original people of Palestine. A number of their fucking MPs even say so!
So why this Labour Caucus will talk about rights for every oppressed and marginalised group imaginable–except Palestinians and West Papuans it seems, needs proper, and intensive investigation. Really there are two reasons why the Labour Caucus supports Apartheid Israel.
1. We are in 5 Eyes. Where US Imperialism goes, by and large the NZ Ruling Class goes, and consequently the current NZ Govt. and main stream media goes.
2. Neo Blairism. It is a sick joke to compare once mild social democracy with the neo liberal sell outs that parties like NZ Labour and UK Labour have become. NZ Labour has stronger links with Keir Starmer’s class collaborationist type of Labour than many NZers would realise.
Very true. Our government’s continued subservience to the United States and their foreign masters is a millstone around our necks. The UK Times revealed over the weekend that their GCSB had determined that Huawei 5G systems posed no security risk to the UK’s national security (indeed, they are a lot safer from exploitation by actually hostile actors like Americans or zionists than the US offerings). Then, a Trump appointee yelled at Britain’s top intelligence officials for six hours, and they gave in. Our supposedly ‘independent’ foreign policy doubtless followed the same path of pathetic subservience.
Very true John. When even their lackeys at the CIA admit that the zionists banned organizations which defend the rights of Palestinian children, women, and farmers, not because of any association with so-called ‘terrorists’ but because the zionists hate Palestinian children, women, and farmers, and want to wipe them all out, it’s a very poor look for our government to so strongly support the extermination of the Palestinian people.
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