David Robie also blogs at Café Pacific
From Asia Pacific Report
A score of Palestine solidarity protesters draped themselves in white shrouds with mock blood in a sombre “die-in” demonstration at Te Komitanga Square — the heart of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city — on Sunday as speakers urged people to take a stronger boycott against Israeli products.
The rally by hundreds of protesters marked Israel’s killing of more than 34,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — and wounding more than 77,000 in its genocidal war on Gaza.
The war has lasted 205 days so far with no let-up in the deadly assault on the besieged enclave and protesters staged 35 events around New Zealand this week as global demonstrations continue to grow.
- READ MORE: Israel blocks international mission to sail desperately needed aid into Gaza
- Israeli pressure delays Freedom Flotilla’s departure for Gaza: Organisers
- Hundreds of university students arrested in US as Gaza war protests spread
Opposition MPs took part in the rally, including Labour’s Shanan Halbert and Green Party’s Steve Abel and Ricardo Menéndez March.
Activist and educator Maryam Perreira called on Palestine supporters to step up their boycott and divestments pressure — “it’s working, sanctions brought down apartheid South Africa and this will bring down the Israeli genocidal regime”.
“Food not bombs for Gaza”. Video: Café Pacific
She said the courage and commitment of the Palestinian resistance had become an inspiration to the world.
Send Israeli ambassador home
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) secretary Neil Scott called for sanctions action by the New Zealand government.
He urged Palestine supporters to call on the government to:
• Send the Israeli ambassador home, and
• End the working holiday visa for 200 Israelis who come to New Zealand to rest and relax “after committing genocide in Gaza”.
Scott called on New Zealanders to email Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Immigration Minister Erica Stanford to take action.
“Try just one email and see how it goes. Then another on another topic. Then another. That’s how I started a while ago,” Scott said.
“We need a tide of emails to get them to understand that Kiwis don’t want the Israeli ambassador here.
“Neither do we want the young Israelis committing genocide today and to walk among us tomorrow.”
More than 13,000 people have signed a petition calling for the closure of the Israeli embassy in Welington.
“They can’t demonise an entire nation.” Video: Café Pacific
Superfund divestment
Scott said divestment pressure also worked – it is one of the driving forces for student protests at some 70 universities across the US over the past week with police arresting hundreds.
He spoke about the NZ government’s Superfund which has investments all over the world.
“A few years ago, they invested in Israeli banks which were investing in the building of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestine Territories. They were involved in investing and enabling crimes against humanity,” Scott said.
“Our efforts got the NZ Superfund to divest from those banks in 2021.”
“BDS – more action call.” Video: Café Pacific
He called on people with KiwiSaver fund accounts to check them out for investments in “Israeli companies who are in any way involved in the occupation”.
“We’re now calling for everyone to boycott Israeli products — or those companies which are complicit in Israeli crimes against humanity or the illegal occupation, land theft, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and now genocide.”
Scott cited the boycott target list of the global BDS movement — Ahava (“Dead Sea mineral skin care products”), BP and Caltex, Hewlett-Packard, McDonalds, Obela Hummus and SodaStream.
“The key is for all of us to take action today. Remember — boycott, divest, sanction.”
Meanwhile, 1News reports that three New Zealand doctors planning to sail with an independent flotilla carrying aid to Gaza have had their mission “scuppered at the last minute”. They blame Israel for the delay.
The doctors — Dr Ali Al-Kenani, Dr Wasfi Shahin and Dr Faiez Idais — left for Istanbul 10 days ago where they joined other international volunteers in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, said 1News.
Organisers of the humanitarian aid mission said the boats were set to sail under the flag of the West African nation of Guineau Bisseau but said the country had withdrawn permission to use its flag under pressure from Israel.
“DISCLOSE. DIVEST. WE WILL NOT STOP WE WILL NOT REST.”
Student campus occupation chant
Columbia lecturers and other faculty don hi viz and form a security barrier around their protesting students to protect them from the police.
https://twitter.com/jessicaschwalb7/status/1785009799538622557
Statement from Columbia University President Minouche Shafik
April 29, 2024
https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-29
“….since Wednesday, a small group of academic leaders has been in constructive dialogue with student organizers….
…. Regretfully, we were not able to come to an agreement.”
“….the University will not divest from Israel”
“….the University offered to convene a faculty committee to address academic freedom
….The University also offered to make investments in health and education in Gaza, including supporting early childhood development and support for displaced scholars. There are important ideas that emerged from this dialogue, and we plan to explore pursuing them in the future.
“…We will continue to update the community with new developments.
Sincerely,
Minouche Shafik
President, Columbia University in the City of New York
Well, students were correct about the Vietnam war and I can’t help thinking there correct about this one. “The kids are alright!”
BDS is good but it won’t bring down Israel. Unlike South Africa, the political power behind Israel is much too strong for that. The problem is political, arguably, like most problems today. Shame about the flotilla, would have been dicey anyway so perhaps not all bad.
Stopping the flotilla from taking aid to Gaza is another flagrant breach of the World Court’s binding order on Israel not to impede aid to the territory. Further evidence, if any was needed, of Israel’s intention to commit mass murder amounting to genocide. Israel has dropped more explosive power on Gaza equivalent to three Hiroshima size bombs. Unlike the survivors of Hiroshima, the survivors in Gaza are to be denied medical aid, and food and water.
It’s insane. How can this genocide be allowed to continue and denied and excused. Among companies support Israel is Google. They are providing the AI technology that deliberately targets innocent people to kill. That is how so many women and children have been murdered because they have been deliberately targeted. The whole world knows this yet they continue to excuse and enable this horrific war. But it’s not even war as they are not abiding by any war conventions.
The brutal vigilante attacks on peaceful anti-genocide protesters in the US, which have so far gone “unnoticed” by the New Zealand media, may be a sign of things to come. Are we seeing the rise of fascism played backwards, with the genocide preceding the ugly mob violence, break down of the rule of law and finally seizure of state power, inspired and presumably funded by those supposedly “decent” people who rule over neo-liberal capitalism? It is just a week ago that I was unlawfully arrested by New Zealand Police for holding up, in silent witness, signs which read “LEST WE FORGET GAZA” and “REMEMBER SURAFEND”, and Police Commissioner Coster has yet to respond to a call for him to order a return to rule of law by Police in our rohe.
It would be folly for us to suppose that those responsible for genocide in Gaza will respect the rights or even the lives of citizens in our own motu. Let us prepare for the worst now.
Hamas agree to temporary ceasefire. Crowds celebrate in Rafah. Israel looks to turn down ceasefire, which will seal the fate of 1.4 million people crammed into Rafah and possibly ending the lives of any hostages caught in the crossfire.
At this time the hostages are not just hostages they are witnesses, when Gazans are killed by Israel, they are killed by Israel, when Gazans are starved by Israel the hostages are starved by Israel. It is quite clear that Netanyahu does not want the hostages back, they are witnesses to the unspeakable horrors unleashed on Gaza by Israel.
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