Rejecting Board of Peace, right decision, but no excuse for NZ to disengage on Palestine

PSNA says for once the New Zealand government has made a good decision for Gaza by refusing to join Trump’s Board of Peace.

But PSNA also says New Zealand must continue to push for complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, full resumption of humanitarian aid and a realisation of the basic human rights for Palestinians everywhere, including a right of return.

Co-Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, John Minto says a complete absence of any elected Palestinians in implementing the Gaza Peace Plan doomed it from the start.

“But then Trump mission-crept his Board of Peace into a personal global fiefdom, as an alternative to the United Nations. His claim to bring peace to the whole world, sounds as imbecilic as a speech from a Miss World contestant.”

Minto says the New Zealand government must at last realise that the Israeli government is only interested in destroying Palestinian resistance so it can ethnically cleanse Gaza.

“Netanyahu admits the October peace agreement, which the Board of Peace is ostensibly founded on, is ‘largely symbolic’.”

“Israel has re-expanded its area of control to up to three-quarters of the entire Gaza Strip and its ministers are saying Israel will never withdraw, whether the Board of Peace likes it or not.”

“Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has just stated Israel will not permit reconstruction to start in Gaza until he is satisfied Hamas has completely disarmed and surrendered.”

“The IDF has continued to bomb and shoot Palestinians in Gaza almost every day.  It is bombing Lebanon, despite a peace agreement there too.”

“According to the Independent, Israel is also recruiting and arming Palestinian gangs ‘running rampant’ in Gaza to attack Hamas.”

Minto says perhaps the most important issue the New Zealand government must consider is that achievement of Palestinian rights can’t be isolated to Gaza, but must include, in particular, the West Bank, where instances of killings of Palestinians by illegal settlers are surging.

“Every previous attempt in the past nearly 50 years, and Israel made sure they all failed, from Camp David onwards, was ostensibly based on a comprehensive and universal achievement of Palestinian national rights.”

“Real peace can only occur if these are realised, and not subject to Israeli whim and veto,” Minto says.

“Trump’s plan for his ‘Riviera of the Middle East’, is built on top of the bones of at least seventy thousand Palestinians, a number that even Israel now admits is true.”

“If they are lucky, living Palestinians will get to be janitors and bellhops.”

“New Zealand has wisely chosen to walk away from this madness.  But nonetheless our government can’t use this decision as an excuse to walk away from Palestine in order to wash its hands of complicity with a continuing genocide.”

“Sanctions on Israel would be a good start.”