Winston Peters’ bluff and bluster in his General Assembly speech at the United Nations yesterday are a classic case of doing one thing at home and saying another for overseas audiences.
Peters’ described the war on Gaza as an “utter catastrophe” and labelled Gaza a “wasteland”. He went on to say Israel could “not be under any misconceptions as to its legal obligations”.
These were strong words but meaningless in the context of what the government has failed to do at home.
Mr Peters did not tell his international audience that the New Zealand government has:
- Refused to stop New Zealand military exports which support Israel’s war on Gaza
- Refused (and still refuses) to condemn Israel for any of its war crimes such as collective punishment, the mass slaughter of over 33,000 Palestinians – mostly women and children – the targeting of aid workers and deliberate starvation of Gaza’s Palestinian population
- Refused (and still refuses) to call for an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza
- Refused (and still refuses) to reinstate funding for UNRWA (let alone doubling its funding and bringing forward payments which the government has been urged to do)
- Refused (and still refuses) to withdraw from the US war to target Yemen which is acting to oppose Israel’s genocide of Palestinians
- Refused (and still refuses) to support or join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice
- Refused (and still refuses) to shut down the Israeli Embassy
- Refused (and still refuses) to grant humanitarian visas for Palestinians with family in New Zealand
Winston Peters stands with the US/Israel on Gaza in every important respect but has tried to give a different impression to the United Nations.
There was nothing in his speech which holds Israel to account for its war crimes – not even a single punctuation mark.
It was a Janus-faced performance at the United Nations.
Peters did not bluster, and deserves credit for not toadying to the UNO, and for addressing the issue of the Security Council’s undemocratic use of its undemocratic power of veto, wielded, I think, more by the USA, than by anybody else.
There’s nothing wrong with the veto in theory. It’s when it’s used for evil- as has been universally the case with the US, as the US does with everything else- that it’s a problem.
April 10, 2024 at 8:13 am
“There’s nothing wrong with the veto in theory….” Mohammed Khan
We can always count on Mohammed Khan to back up the imperialist powers and the systems they use to keep the rest of the world down.
Mohammed knows his imperialists of choice, benefit just as much as the Western powers do from being able to over rule the majority vote of the world’s nations represented at the UN.
Winston Peters is a hypocrite who has stained whatever reputation he ever had by this performance in the UN General Assembly.
’On March 28, the ICJ ordered additional preliminary measures, which included requiring the Israeli forces to stop “preventing, through any action, the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance” to Palestinians in Gaza’.
On 30 Jan. 2024, Winston Peters cut New Zealand aid to UNWRA on unsubstantiated allegations made by Israel.
On April 08, 2024, Winston Peters addressed the United Nations.
Peters calls war in Gaza an ‘utter catastrophe’ at UN meeting
Thomas Manch, Stuff.co.nz, April 08, 2024, • 10:00am
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350239183/peters-calls-war-gaza-utter-catastrophe-un-meeting
’…..Peters said Israel could not “be under any misconceptions as to its legal obligations” after the International Court of Justice last month ordered unimpeded aid be allowed into Gaza.’
Peters ‘impedes’ NZ aid to Gaza:
RNZ
POLITICS 30 Jan 2024
No more aid for UN aid agency until Peters satisfied – Luxon
12:41 pm on 30 January 2024
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/507907/no-more-aid-for-un-aid-agency-until-peters-satisfied-luxon#
’….Heading into National’s caucus meeting this morning, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirmed New Zealand would be withholding further funding for the agency until Foreign Minister Winston Peters gave the go-ahead.’
Winston Peters is a lawyer, as such could not “be under any misconceptions as to his legal obligations”
Commonwealth countries Australia and Canada have since reinstated their funding to UNRWA after Israel failed to provide evidence of their allegations made against the aid agency.
Winston Peters has not reinstated New Zealand’s aid to UNWRA.
The Times of Israel
ISRAEL AT WAR – DAY 186
Australia to resume funding for UNRWA, pledges further aid for Gaza
‘UNRWA is not a terrorist organization,’ says Australian FM after Israeli allegations that some of the UN Palestinian refugee agency’s staff took part in October 7 onslaught
By AGENCIES and TOI STAFF, 16 March 2024, 4:18 am
https://www.timesofisrael.com/australia-to-resume-funding-for-unrwa-pledges-further-aid-for-gaza/
’….Australia’s move follows Sweden, the European Commission and Canada in reinstating funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which had seen its international funding frozen while the allegations were investigated.’
After helping Israel starve Palestinians, Winston Peters is met by protesters;
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/winston-peters-heckled-by-protestors-before-state-of-the-nation-speech/YMJFNGVTB56KWBMGGKDRXAPHQ4/
This is the reality of geo politics. How come Peters can get away with it? Such fork tounged bullshit.
While some countries have veto powers the UN is powerless .The fact that those like the USA can veto any resolution is absurd and hardly lives up to the term UNITED .Hence the reason we have had ongoing wars for generations and hence the reason ISREAL has been able to steal land from the Palastinians for decades .Isreal should be made to return to the pre 1967 boundaries and have no say in the running of palastine .If they cant do that then they should all return to Europe from where they came .
Winston is full of shit and clearly this government are prepared to lie to the whole world as well as to NZ as a whole .Note Luxon has not expelled the Russian embasy as he said he would while on the campaign trail while in oposition .He should grow some balls and kick both Russia and Isreal out at the same time .No doubt he will jump to attention and remove China when he signs us up to AUKUS.
I am no fan of Peters but his speech was pretty good and covered all bases of concern.
He condemned both sides as wrong stated a long term solution they need to respect the others right to exist.
The genocidal monsters of the zionist entity will never respect the rights of humans- in Palestine or anywhere else- to exist.
Trevor, if you invaded my home, I would not give up half let alone 95% of it to you. I would take it all back.
Simple as.
Palestine will be free from the Jordan to the sea.
No, as Gaby would attest to, resisting out right theft is anti semitism. That’s even more confusing as the Palestinians are actually Semites in the traditional sense of the word.
Peters called the situation in Gaza “a catastrophe”. Obviously for the civilians of Gaza it is exactly that. A “nakba” as they might say. His criticisms of the State of Israel include such not-so “hard-hitting” words as “misguided” and “belated” while he extravagantly denounces the actions of the Gaza authorities as “heinous” and “barbaric”. In other words he is setting out to portray the situation as the exact reverse of the actual reality. Meanwhile New Zealand continues to deliver military support for the Gaza genocide.
I have said it before and I will say it again. The Realm of New Zealand as a colonialist state is a force for evil in the world. Trying to nudge it towards more humane or moral policies is a waste of time and energy. The colonial regime must be recognised for what it is: an enemy to our own people and ultimately all the world’s peoples. It cannot be transformed into something better. It must be destroyed.
And how do you propose to do that?
We will just have to carry on doing what we are already doing. The colonialist regime has set its own course to destruction. Te Rangatiratanga will be ready to step through every breach in the wall.
Gordon Campbell does not have anything complimentary to say about Peters’s speech
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2404/S00020/on-winston-peters-pathetic-speech-at-the-un.htm
To be fair to Peter’s at least he wasn’t asleep or abusing the media which is his normal pattern.
I gather jetsetting around the world is his coalition payback for his 100 years in politics.
It’s ridiculous how different he acts overseas. Like rather normal.
Winstone doesn’t need to abuse the media he is complicit in getting rid of them isn’t that a form of abuse an abuse of power.
John Minto’s many examples of what Winston and the NActFirst Govt are doing/not doing nails home the old saying about Politicians and others in power …….. “Look at what they actually do versus what they say”.
… But I will add that what Winston said was pretty queer and mealy mouthed ,,,, I mean FFS does anyone talk to murderers about their “legal obligations” ,,,,
In a further example of how shit zionists and their supporters are ,,,, they have been posting up pictures of the dead Aussie aid worker Israel murdered and mocking him ,,,, https://youtu.be/L6bYS6fXOpo?t=427 …..
….. and over 70% of Israel citizens support starving Palestinian Civilians https://truthout.org/articles/polls-show-broad-support-in-israel-for-gazas-destruction-and-starvation/ ,,,, presumably because they agree with their defense minister that they are “animals”…
The aid workers were killed because they were feeding the ‘animals’ Israelis are making starve ….
Winston, Collins, Luxon and Seymor are happy to in have us a in the criminal membership of the United States of Violence
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/132643-the-greatest-purveyor-of-violence-in-the-world-my
https://www.bitchute.com/video/zPA6BeOINHFz/
Peters’ speech comes far too late what the fuck has the old coot being doing, oh! that’s right he been busy shitting on his own people us nonindigenous ones.
It’s hard to believe Peters’ speech wasn’t vetted by our foreign policy masters, who, as they are ever more shamed and embarrassed by Israel’s barbarity, may have used him to say words they can’t. Still Peters must be made to eat his own words and how better to do that than to have his image carried high on posters and banners flying over pro-Palestinian demonstrations. PS; The speech wasn’t mentioned in this morning’s NZ Herald, so clearly our foreign policy masters are still vetting its reaction.
Peters said what he thinks and what most of NZ thinks. On the other hand his and our countries actions are what is required from a vassal. Palestinians deaths or economic retribution.
How many duty-free ciggies and bottles of whiskey did Winnie get for that trip and speech?
Exactly!
Only countries can bring cases to the World Court.
Nicaragua has brought a case against Germany, charging Germany with supplying weapons to Israel and cutting humanitarian aid, to help Israel carry out what the World Court has ruled is a ‘plausible genocide’.
Nicaragua also charged Germany with breaching the provisional order of the court by cutting German aid to UNWRA in defiance of the World Court’s order to facilitate the delivery of aid.
Nicaragua submission to the World Court;
“By sending military equipment and now defunding UNRWA [UN agency for Palestinian refugees] … Germany is facilitating the commission of genocide,”
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20240408-germany-faces-gaza-genocide-case-at-top-un-court
Winston Peters better hope that no country from the Global South takes New Zealand to court for breaching the genocide convention.
On being charged by Nicaragua with breaching the genocide convention by cutting of aid to UNWRA, Germany immediately resumed its aid to UNWRA, causing Nicaragua to alter their application to the court to take note of that fact.
New Zealand has not followed other commonwealth countries Canada and Australia who have resumed their aid to UNWRA,
Winston Peters as the Minister who ordered the withdrawal of New Zealand aid to UNWRA, has still not reversed his decision, better hope he doesn’t find himself in the dock.
Let’s hope he does. Would like to send a memo to Nicaragua but don’t know who to. They might be interested in your list of Winston’s non actions countering his big noting at UN. Pat and John, please send missive to Nicaragua, South Africa forthwith.
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