Potential intelligence sharing with Israel must be investigated – Greens

Concerns have been raised that our spy arrangements may mean that intelligence is being shared between Aotearoa and Israel. An urgent inquiry must be launched in response to this.

“Any potential connection to Israel’s genocidal regime must be investigated. Aotearoa cannot afford to have any links to the crimes against humanity being committed in Gaza,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Teanau Tuiono.

“As a nation, we have a proud and enduring history of standing up for peace and fighting for justice where injustices lie.

“Any possibility of us supporting Israel’s illegal military operations must be investigated. Any connection to the atrocities being committed by Israel would represent a complete betrayal of the values and moral standards this country is grounded in.

“Associate Professor Treasa Dunworth, Dr Max Harris and Vinod Bal were incredibly clear in their letter to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security: There is cause for concern that our intelligence is being gathered in a way which may ultimately see it being shared with Israel.

“We have a duty to ensure that our country does not assist in the perpetration of international crimes.

“Our involvement in this conflict would see us fall onto the wrong side of history and erode any future credibility we have when it comes to advocating for human rights on the international stage. We cannot call for other countries to respect the international rule of law if we are party to breaches of it ourselves.

“This matter must be urgently investigated.

“Day after day, the death toll continues to rise. We need to be doing all we can to help build a pathway towards peace while ensuring we are in no way, shape or form contributing to this devastating conflict,” says Teanau Tuiono.