Our summer is the main time for Israelis to visit New Zealand, and PSNA is warning that many soldiers who have been serving in the IDF genocide in Gaza will be among them.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa says Immigration NZ figures show 799 Israelis visited New Zealand last December, and half of them would be of an age to be eligible for compulsory military service. The Israeli visitor numbers then usually increase for January and February.
PSNA Co-chair John Minto says all these soldiers would have been complicit in some way with the ongoing genocide in Gaza during the past two years.
“So, what these troops are doing, is having a ‘Genocide Holiday’ here. They belong to a military force which has been responsible for perhaps hundreds of thousands of deaths in Gaza, the all but total destruction of its buildings and other infrastructure, and mass ethnic cleansing and starvation.”
The IDF has killed more than 400 Palestinians in Gaza since October when the ceasefire was meant to have begun.
“It’s a disgrace that our Foreign Minister says they are welcome to come here,” Minto says.
‘Our officials can’t even bother to ask these likely war criminals, whether they live or operate in Occupied East Jerusalem or West Bank. The International Court of Justice says signatories to the Geneva Conventions, such as New Zealand, must not do anything which perpetuates the Occupation.
The 2016 United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which New Zealand co-sponsored, required countries “to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967”.
“Free visas for soldiers who enforce the Occupation or live as occupiers, can’t be seen as anything other than a New Zealand endorsement of the Occupation and a breach of the terms of a UN Security Council resolution which New Zealand played a major role in passing.”
Minto says he fears the risk of violence from these visitors.
“Weve seen more threats and acts of violence against Palestinian supporters from Israelis and their supporters over the past few months.
“Two former IDF people have appeared in court after their physical attacks on protesters.”
“We are maintaining our hotline this summer – 027 427 2784 – for people who are concerned for their safety when they encounter IDF types in holiday spots, and to identity them wherever in the country they are enjoying their break from genocide.”
John Minto
Co-Chair PSNA