NZ joins UK, France and 22 other countries saying the war in Gaza ‘must end now’
Twenty-five countries including New Zealand, Britain, France and a host of European nations have issued a joint statement that puts more pressure on Israel, saying the war in Gaza “must end now” and Israel must comply with international law.
The foreign ministers of countries including New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Japan said “the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.” They condemned “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.”
The statement described as “horrifying” the deaths of over 800 Palestinians who were seeking aid, according to the figures released by Gaza’s Health Ministry and the UN human rights office.
“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” said the statement.
Admit it!
Wat Israel is doing is an ethnic cleansing war crime genocide!
Israel is talking about concentration camps FFS!
Phil Goff is right, what the IDF are doing to Palestinians amounts to genocide…
Phil Goff: Israel’s actions now amount to genocide
For a long time, I hesitated to describe Israel’s intentions in Gaza as genocide. Genocide is a term I associated with the Nazi Holocaust in which 6,000,000 Jews were murdered. Over many years I have attended memorials to the Holocaust in the belief that we should never forget the lessons of history including the consequences of populist politicians demonising ethnic minorities for political purposes.
I am not comparing Israel’s actions in the Gaza with the Holocaust. However, Israel’s actions now clearly meet the definition of genocide. Article 2 of the Geneva Convention on Genocide defines genocide as acts committed with intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. Among other things it specifies the killing of members of groups, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of a group and deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.
Israel’s latest announcement to forcibly transfer 600,000 Palestinians in Gaza to an internment camp established in Rafah on Egypt’s border confirms Israel’s intent. The announcement was made by Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said it could begin as soon as a 60-day ceasefire currently under negotiation came into effect.
Once in the camp, people would be unable to leave. The intent is that the whole of Gaza’s more than two million Palestinian people would ultimately be transferred to the zone. In language comparable to propaganda used by authoritarian regimes, the internment camp is being termed “a humanitarian city”. Amos Goldberg, historian of the Holocaust at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, described what was being proposed as “neither humanitarian nor a city”. It was placing people in “a concentration camp or transit camp”.
…everyone should feel a shiver down their spine at this grotesque ‘concentration camp’ idea Israel are embarking upon for the Palestinian people .
The echos of history are screaming at us!
Phil Goff saying what we are all thinking but are too frightened to say for fear of being accused anti-semitic resets the debate in New Zealand.
You can’t eclipse his righteous and rational criticism of Israels disproportionate actions by trying to smear Goff as an anti-semite!
He makes valid and very reasonable criticism of what Israel’s actions amount to, regardless of Israel’s right to defend itself, a right remember they are using over a people they have occupied brutally.
Phil is providing real moral leadership here, when someone of his mana calls out Israel’s brutality and speaks for basic decency when so many are too fearful to, that deserves respect.
I supported him speaking truth to power over that Trump question in Chatham House, because Trump is an extremism that must be denounced.
Gaza demands our attention regardless of how uncomfortable the issue makes us.
No citizen of this planet can support killing civilians with the woeful malice of the IDF.
Shooting through human shields to kill Hamas is not a solution nor justification. It’s murder.
‘Who started it’ doesn’t justify what has happened and is occurring right now.
We in the West are complicit to enabling a war crime if we refuse to speak out.
Phil has the courage to speak out.
We should be grateful there are still those New Zealanders bold enough to demand action against the worst angels of our nature.
We can not remain silent any longer while Israel continues to butcher human beings.
“If the New Zealand government was serious, it would implement this list”:
- Back the call from UN Special Rapporteur for the OPT, Francesca Albanese for military protection for aid convoys to enter Gaza.
- Close the Israeli embassy in Wellington
- End trade and investment ties with Israel
- Deny entry visas for all Israeli Defence Forces personnel
- Introduce legislation to sanction Israel the same as the Russia Sanctions Act
- Cease approval for Rakon to export crystal oscillators which may be used by the Israeli military for targeting Gaza and other Israeli assault zones
- Ban all Rocket Lab launches of satellites used for Israeli reconnaissance over Gaza
- Suspend all bilateral agreements with Israel; movie co-production, overflight agreement and technological cooperation
- Stop remittances going to Israel, such as funds for the racist Jewish National Fund
- Cut scientific, academic, sport and cultural ties with the State of Israel
- Sell all New Zealand’s Superfund investments in Israeli companies
- Vote to suspend Israeli membership of the United Nations for not withdrawing from all the Occupied Palestinian Territory
- Cease approving Israeli munitions transporter ZIM Shipping using our ports
- Join the case against Israeli genocide in the International Court of Justice
- Sign onto the Hague Group of countries working to ensure Israel complies with International Law https://thehaguegroup.org/home/
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In nearly 60 years of existence i can not recall a war so brutal with the exception of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda who at least had the decency to provide quick deaths. The IOF is inflicting a death of a 1000 cuts, name me one thing these Jewnazis have not destroyed designed to eradicate Palestinians , their way of life, culture and survival.
The “Right to self defense” went out the window a long time ago, when someone is so badly beaten unable to fight back that’s no longer defense but mass slaughter.
Noted that Ben Morgan has not written an article in TDB outlining the operational tactics of the IDF against Hamas. (presumably this would damage his access to Western military sources so I understand the reticence).
Perhaps some rational and calculated assessments of the effectiveness of the different military operations being conducted by both sides would be useful.
The IDF have complete military dominance against a poorly armed opponent simply by use of overpowering force on an enclosed population.
What types of training do the IDF undergo? Particularly when it comes to using military force against unarmed civilians – this requires a special level of soldiering that is usually preserved for special forces.
Typically it is highly trained elite soldiers that kill civilians with impunity but the IDF have been able to develop that skill set across it’s entire military.
This sets them apart as a military force and they are establishing a new standard for Western countries conducting military operations. I believe indiscriminate bombing campaigns and starvation will become standard tools that we can adopt in our own military operations thanks to Israel.
Surprising that Putin is not taking ideas from Israel’s highly effective military operations.
Western leaders know that what Israel is doing is no different from what they would do in the same situation. We are not as opposed to brutality and cruelty as much as we like to think we are.
The IDF is telling us loud and clear just how little any of us really care and how little we can do about it if we do.
The only ‘person’ ‘inspired’ by zionist tactics is Zelensky.
Phil Goff is not the first Labour Party politician to go against his party’s official policy on the genocide in Gaza.
Phil Goff’s Party, the Labour Party, position ‘remains’ that there is no genocide in Gaza. A poistion that they have held right throughout, and still hold.
This of course lets the Labour party MPs off the hook for standing up in parliament to challenge the government to live up to our obligations to the genocide convention to prevent and punish the crime of genocide. Something the Labour party has yet to do.
Gaza genocide denial, just like Holocaust denial now, will one day have the power to destroy reputaiions and derail political careers.
In Ireland the opposition parties called a vote in the Irish parliament invoking the genocide convention. Irish government MPs that supported Israel, well they didn’t want to be on the permanent record as genocide deniers, I mean who would want that? So they made sure that they were absent from the house during the vote, the government’s majority, was lost and the bill was passed..
If our opposition Labour Party MPs had some spine that could happen here.
Probably so as not to offend our US ally, Labour Party leader Phil Goff cowardly claims that the Labour Party must wait for the ICJ ruling on this matter. By then of course, the genocide will be safely over, and the ICJs decision will be only of historical interest.
Labour’s Damien O’Connor goes against party policy in calling Israel’s actions in Gaza ‘genocide’
RNZ, 8 December 2023
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/504190/labour-s-damien-o-connor-goes-against-party-policy-in-calling-israel-s-actions-in-gaza-genocide
…..In a statement Chris Hipkins said: “Damien O’Connor is incredibly passionate about this issue and that was evident during his contribution today. I respect the emotion and feeling he showed during the debate.
“However the Labour Party’s position remains that it is for the relevant international bodies to determine whether actions by Israel are within the constraints of international law.”
And so we do nothing.
We keenly watching so we can do the same here .No one will notice and if they do they will just shrug and walk away .
“No one will notice and if they do they will just shrug and walk away ” gordon walker
You Wish.
‘They’ certainly didn’t ‘just shrug and walk away’ the last time NZ did something against Israel’s interests.
Netanyahu ‘told New Zealand backing UN vote would be declaration of war’
Israeli PM reportedly warned that support for motion on settlements would ‘rupture relations’ between two countries
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/28/netanyahu-told-new-zealand-backing-un-vote-would-be-declaration-of-war
….According to reports in Israeli media, the Israeli PM called Murray McCully, the foreign minister of New Zealand, before Friday’s resolution, which was co-sponsored by Wellington. Netanyahu told him: “This is a scandalous decision. I’m asking that you not support it and not promote it.
“If you continue to promote this resolution, from our point of view it will be a declaration of war. It will rupture the relations and there will be consequences. We’ll recall our ambassador [from New Zealand] to Jerusalem.”
McCully, however, refused to back down, telling Netanyahu: “This resolution conforms to our policy and we will move it forward.”
‘A declaration of war’, Really?
A pretty unhinged over the top ressponse don’t you think Gordon?
That was mild, Now just imagine, going on that example, how Netanyahu reacts if this country enacts even half of the measures that Martyn Bradbury has listed here, above.
I was not talking about what we would do to Israelies ,I was talking about our own genocide right here in NZ that parts of our population crave .
That’s the way I understood your comment, still, with Pat saying “Labour Party leader Phil Goff” in his previous comment, I guess he is under a bit of stress at the moment. Usually he supports the good guys.
We keenly watching so we can do the same here .No one will notice and if they do they will just shrug and walk away .
I am utterly sickened by the situation in Gaza; the genocidal actions of Netanyahus’ IDF, the enablers in Washington, the complicity of world leaders, the failure of the rule of law, and the shameful prosecution of protesters against these horrific actions.
How is the public murder of a whole population even possible in these times?
Bastards.
“How is the public murder of a whole population even possible in these times?” Ximon
“Evil succeeds when good men do nothing” Edmund Burke
So that the opposition Labour Party MPs can finally stand up in parliament and take the government to task, to uphold this country’s obligations to the genocide convention, It is well past time for good men like Phil Goff, Damion O’Connor, Phil Twyford and others with influence inside the Labour Party to act to get their party to change it’s official position that there is no genocide in Gaza.
Until that happens. Nothing happens.
I was not talking about what we would do to Israelies ,I was talking about our own genocide right here in NZ that parts of our population crave .
Labour could well do as you say and how do you think this government would react .Just take Goff as an example when he came out and said what we were all thinking .The Trump arse lickers sacked Goff the next DAY .The coalition could easily stand up and take action as they are the actual government .But the reality is they wish they could do the same thing right here in NZ to our indigenous people .Look at how desperate they are to do that with the latest petty cleansing of the NZ passport on the quiet.
gordon walker July 26, 2025 At 5:00 pm
Labour could well do as you say and how do you think this government would react…..
This government could react in only one of two ways, In the future being known as a genocide denier will ruin reputations and derail political careers. So it is a possibility that go on the permanent record as genocide deniers, some government MPs at least, could do what some Irish government MPs did and vacate the house during the vote, removing the governments majority and alowing the bill to pass.
That’s one possibility.
The other possibility, and the more likely one in my opinion, is that the government MPs will stay in their seats and vote the bill down and be for ever marked as genocide deniers.
The government MPs who voted down the opposition’s bill would be forever identified in the permanent record as genocide deniers.. And be unable to do what Jim Bolger did over the Springbok tour, by later claiming that he had personally always been against the tour. Despite being a cabinet minister and saying and doing nothing at the time to oppose it.
That will not stop the genocide, but one day those who voted to support genocide by denying it, will not be able to slip out of being held to account by claiming they were personally against the genocide in Gaza. It may not happen this year or next year or even in ten years, but it will happen.
The population in Gaza has increased by 2.2% since Oct 7th 2023.
There needs to be an airbridge between Cairo and Gaza protected by a Nato no fly zone asap. Life saving supplies can be trucked or shipped to Egypt, and then flown into Gaza. A coalition of the willing was formed quick enough when the Kuwaiti’s needed help, the difference being that the Palistinians don’t have any oil reserves. Forget Sadam or Gadafi or Putin, is Netanyahu a democratically elected most blood thirsty dictator since Adolf? If he doesn’t swing for this, then the ICJ is a waist of time.
Demand that a rogue nation respect international law?
But of course. How about starting at the top: with USA, which has given the finger to much international law and consensus for decades, anytime it felt like doing so.
It’s just so much self-serving hot air to piously call for action if we do so hypocritically.
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