While New Zealand politicians reach for a cold beer, wine or champagne – New Zealanders will protest their callous complicity in Gaza’s genocide
New Zealanders will protest their callous complicity in Gaza’s genocide.
According to the United Nations, amongst the death toll of more than 45,000, almost 70% of those killed are women and children with another 11,000 unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble. Over 106,000 have been injured.
The impact on children is harrowing.
Over 17,000 children have been confirmed killed in Israeli bombings and sniper fire with tens of thousands more injured or maimed. Another 17,000 children are “unaccompanied” having lost their families.
It’s small wonder that a new survey of vulnerable children in Gaza has found that 96% feel death is imminent, 87% display extreme fear, 79% suffer from nightmares and 49% wish to die because of the war.
United Nations officials, international experts, the International Court of Justice and now Amnesty International have all used the term genocide to describe the actions of the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza.
Last month the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
All the red flags for genocide have been visible for over a year now but our coalition government is unmoved.
It’s not just Israeli leaders who are to blame for war crimes. New Zealand politicians stand in the dock alongside them for complicity through silence. Deafening silence.
John Minto
National Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
Nationwide rallies/marches/MP protests/vigils this week
These are on the PSNA Facebook events page here with the basic details listed below.
North Island
Opononi – Gathering for Palestine
No Rally this week
Kerikeri – Rally
No Rally this week. First Saturday of the month
Whangarei – Rally
No more Rallies until the new year
Waiheke – Market Stall – hosted by Stand With Palestine Waiheke!
Every Saturday
8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Ostend Market, Waiheke Island
Auckland – Picket the UK Consulate
Wednesday 18 December
12:00 noon
UK Consulate – 151 Queen Street, Auckland CBD
Auckland – Banners around Tamaki Makaurau
Every Saturday
This week
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
“Westfield Newmarket” on Broadway, Newmarket, Auckland
Text John on 021 899 659 for more details
Auckland – Raise Your Voice for Palestine
Saturday 21 December
2:00 pm
Te Komititanga – Britomart Square, Tamaki Makaurau
Thames – Vigil to Stop the war on Children
(Hosted by The Basket – Social and Environmental Justice – Hauraki)
No Rally this weekend. First Saturday of the month
Tauranga – Flags
Sunday 22 December
11:00 am
Coronation Park, Mt Manganui
Whakatane
Rallies are starting to be organised – Watch this space
Hamilton – Flag Waving for Palestine
Saturday 21 December
1:00 pm
Flynn Park, Cnr Wairere Drive & Naylor, Hamilton
Hamilton – BDS Action for Palestine
Saturday 21 December
1:00 pm
The Base – cnr Wairere Drive & Te Rapa Road
Raglan – Art Auction
Wednesday 18 – Saturday 21
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Raglan Old School Arts Centre
Open Auction is on Saturday at 6:00 pm
Cambridge – Rally for Palestine
Every Saturday
11:00 am
Cambridge Town Hall
Rotorua – Rally for Palestine
Every Thursday
4:30 pm
National MP Todd McClays Office – Cnr Amohau and Ranolf St lights, Rotorua
Gisborne – Farmers Market – Vigil to Stop the war on Children
Every Saturday
9:30 – 11:30 am
Gisborne Farmers Market
Napier – Rally for Palestine
Saturday 21 December
11:30 am
Marine Parade Soundshell Roundabout
Hastings – Rally for Palestine
Sunday 22 December
1:00 pm
Hastings Town Clock – Hastings CBD
Palmerston North – Rally
Sunday November 22
2:00 pm
The Square, Palmerston North
New Plymouth – Flags at the Council
Thursday 19 December
4:30 – 5:30 pm
In front of the Council Building
New Plymouth – Flags on the Bridge
Friday 20 December
No flags this week, see above event
New Plymouth – March for Gaza
Saturday 21 December
1:00 PM
The Landing, 1 Ariki Street, New Plymouth
Whanganui – Rally for Palestine
Saturday 21 December
11:00 am
Riverside Market, Whanganui
Carterton – Gathering for Gaza
Every Tuesday
12:00 midday
Memorial Square.
Martinborough – Vigil for Palestine
Every Wednesday
11:00 am
The square at the top of Kitchener St, Martinborough
Masterton – Gathering for Gaza
Every Sunday
9:30 am
Town Hall Lawn, Masterton
Featherston – Gathering for Gaza
Every Saturday
11:00 am
The Squircle (opposite the op shop).
Wellington – Flags on the Bridge
(hosted by the Falastin Tea Collective)
Every Friday
7:15 – 8:15 am
Hill Street bridge Overbridge, Wellington
Wellington – Vigil for Palestine
(hosted by Aotearoa Healthcare Workers for Palestine)
Every Friday
6:00 pm
In front of Wellington Hospital, 49 Riddiford Street, Newtown, Wellington
Wellington – Rally
(hosted by the Falastin Tea Collective)
Saturday 21 December
1:00 pm
Corner of Hunter St and Lambton Quay under the Protoplasm statue
South Island
Nelson – Rally for Palestine
Saturday 21 December
10:30 am
1903 Square, Upper Trafalgar Street, Nelson
Blenheim – Rally for Palestine
Saturday 21 December
11:00 am
Blenheim Railway Station
Christchurch – Flag Waving for Palestine
Friday 20 December
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Bridge of Remembrance, Cashel Street, Christchurch
Christchurch – Rally for Palestine
Saturday 21 December
1:00 pm
Bridge of Remembrance, Cashel Street, Christchurch
Timaru
No Rally this weekend
Dunedin – Rally
No rally this week
Queenstown
No rally this weekend
Invercargill – Rally for Palestine
Sunday 22 December
1:00 pm
Wachner place Invercargill
Hamas, Hamas, Hamas.
There Nathan, We don’t want people knowing it means “Islamist resistance movement” and was a creation of Israel.
“One million Arabs are not worth one Jewish fingernail” Rabbi Yaccov Perin during the funeral of Baruch
Goldstein who murdered 48 Palestinians in a Hebron Mosque in 1994.
You’re on the wrong side of history Son.
A more pertinent meaning is the Biblical one: Violence, evil, cruelty. All of which is encoded in the Hamas Charter: “[Peace] initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement… Those conferences are no more than a means to appoint the infidels as arbitrators in the lands of Islam… There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility.” (Article 13)
To me that quote sounds both realistic and reasonable. Israel wants to expand into Arab lands. The West wants to help Israel to that end. That leaves the Palestinians with only one sensible option: forceful resistance. Whether they can be successful against the odds remains to be seen.
Oh dear. You really do think they will stop at Israel don’t you.
Now this is right on the money, from an Israeli point of view. Israel will not stop at the conquest of the entire Middle East. To be fair to Israel, this is not only an Israel thing, this is the human condition. Once we start conquering, we only stop when we are stopped.
At the time of Muhammad’s death there was one (loosely cobbled together) Islamic country. How many are there today? I would be interested in your explanation of this expansion. If conquest is the human condition, the west, with dwindling populations should be mightily concerned about its future.
What? You mean that blatant breach of international law by attacking another country and invading its borders?
Thank God for the “Rules based order”