PSNA is renewing calls to the government for sanctions, as Israel breaches the ceasefire in Gaza, with killing and still preventing essential aid getting into Gaza.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair John Minto points to Israeli claims that it is ‘enforcing’ the ceasefire.
“Israeli soldiers have violated the ceasefire more than 500 times since the US plan came into effect. They have killed 356 Palestinians in the same period.”
“Most times, the Israelis claim they had to shoot Palestinians ‘acting suspiciously’ near the Israeli delineated ‘yellow line’ of continued Israeli occupation of Gaza,” Minto says.
“But other times, Israel has bombed areas and killed people well away from the Israeli positions. It looks like business as usual, except at a temporarily lower level.”
“Amnesty International has said the world must not be fooled. Israel’s genocide is not over. We know that the indirect death toll is a number of times the official 70,000 recorded fatalities.”
“There is the additional crisis now of winter floods destroying the tent cities in parts of Gaza. Experts are saying the risk of disease is dire, made worse by Israel restricting aid supplies, when the ceasefire arrangement was for the supplies to fully resume.”
Minto says while attention has been on Gaza, the uncontrolled Israeli settler terrorism against Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank, should be of serious concern to our government.
“National has strongly condemned Israeli land grabs in the West Bank in the past. And more recently banned two Israeli cabinet ministers from ever entering Aotearoa New Zealand. Luxon’s government needs to live up to its stated position on West Bank violence.”
“Instead, New Zealand has just abstained on a vote in the United Nations, to declare Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights as illegal,” Minto says.
“This is a vote which comes up in the General Assembly every year. We used to vote with the vast majority to tell Israel that it has no valid claims on Syrian territory.”
“Now, our government is showing every sign to Israel that with the unenforceable Gaza deal, New Zealand can now declare all Israeli occupation, wherever it is, as no longer of any concern and can be forgotten about.”
“So our government is relying on the distractions of the approaching holiday season to maintain its wall of silence on Israel’s genocide and land grabbing.”
“The government’s ‘season of goodwill’ applies to the perpetrators of genocide, but not to its victims”
“Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins don’t want media attention on Gaza, so they can avoid accountability for complicity with Israeli”
“New Zealanders want sanctions against Israel. That terrifies Peters and Collins.”
“Our national protest to parliament and the US Embassy next Wednesday will put the focus back on sanctions and this worst atrocity of the 21st century.”