PSNA Newsletter No 109 - November 7 2023
8 Whiringa-ā-rangi 2023
8 November 2023
Newsletter No 109
Kia ora koutou,
NOTE: Postponement of National Meeting:
Because of the ongoing crisis in Gaza and the need to mobilise publicly we have decided to postpone the national meeting we had planned for 25/26 November till February/March next year – date to be determined. Apologies to everyone who had booked for this important event but the circumstances make it clear our focus for the present must be on Gaza. More details in future newsletters.
Another round of protest this weekend:
Stop bombing Gaza! End the Genocide!
Ceasefire NOW!
The genocidal slaughter in Gaza goes on with more than 10,000 Palestinians civilians killed – including more than 3,900 Palestinian children.
And while the people of the world are horrified at the human carnage we see on our TV screens, western politicians sit on their hands and won’t call for a ceasefire.
Labour and National in New Zealand are wedded to the US and Israel with token support at best for Palestinians.
How else to explain their self-righteous condemnation of the killing of Israeli civilians while refusing to condemn Israel’s genocidal attacks on Palestinians or even call for a ceasefire?
Once more it is the people of the world who are rising up in a great wave demanding the end of the genocide in Gaza and giving strong political solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Two of the largest marches demanding a ceasefire have been Washington with 300,000 and Jakarta with 1-2 million. Here in Aotearoa New Zealand our protests have been growing rapidly and show just how out of touch with public opinion are outgoing PM Hipkins and incoming PM Luxon. They are apologists for genocide.
Meanwhile Te Pāti Māori and the Green Party have been calling out loudly, along with the vast majority of New Zealanders, for our government to demand a ceasefire.
Details of rallies and marches this weekend
Check out the PSNA Facebook events page here for any additions.
Auckland
2:00 pm
Aotea Square, Queen Street, Auckland
https://www.facebook.com/events/316429201025891
Hamilton
1:00 pm
End of Wairere Drive and Naylor Street, Hillcrest (opposite Flynn Park), Hamilton
https://www.facebook.com/events/1917002302026812
Napier
TBA
New Plymouth
Sunday October 29th
1:00 – 2:00 pm
The Landing, 1 Ariki Street, New Plymouth
https://www.facebook.com/events/1056402595490031
Palmerston North
2:00 pm
The Square, Palmerston North
https://www.facebook.com/events/169240042919999
Whanganui
11:00 am
Tram Shed, Taupo Quay, Whanganui
https://www.facebook.com/events/639148628384297
Wellington – Justice for Palestine
2:00 pm
Assemble in Civic Square then march to parliament
https://www.facebook.com/events/342435891630765
Nelson
10:30 am
1903 Square, Upper Trafalgar Street, Nelson NZ
Rally and March
https://www.facebook.com/events/1371726043432692
Christchurch
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Bridge of Remembrance, Cashel Street, Christchurch
https://www.facebook.com/events/1315415542435087
Dunedin
2:00
Otago Museum Reserve, 363 Great King Street
https://www.facebook.com/events/850780189828984
Six things we can all do now with just a few clicks…
1) Sign this petition calling on NZ government to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza here
2) Sign this petition to close the Israeli embassy in New Zealand here
3) Sign this call for an immediate ceasefire here
4) Write your own email to the outgoing and incoming PMs or copy and paste this letter to them:
Chris Hipkins
Caretaker PM
Christopher Luxon
Incoming PM
Christopher.Luxon@parliament.govt.nz
Kia ora kōrua,
I am shocked and appalled that you both think its OK for Israel conduct genocidal slaughter in Gaza.
Despite self-righteously condemning the killing of Israeli civilians you have refused to condemn Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people as they play out before our eyes.
I feel deep shame at being a New Zealander with such cowardly, spineless leaders such as yourselves.
You don’t speak for me.
You can’t find the words to call out Israel’s racist apartheid policies and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians which is at the heart of the issue.
What is so hard about demanding that Israel give equal rights to everyone living under its military occupation which runs across all historic Palestine?
Right now you should be
1. Condemning the killing of all civilians, not just Israeli civilians
2. Calling for an immediate ceasefire
3. Calling for Palestinians in Gaza to be put under UN protection and
4. Insisting on an ICC investigation into all war crimes since the October 7 attack on Israel just as we did when Russia invaded and occupied parts of Ukraine. This investigation must include the crimes of genocide and apartheid.
Do these things now.
(your name)
5) Congratulate the Green Party and Māori Party for standing firm on Palestine. Write your own note or copy and paste this one:
To Green Party and Tē Pāti Māori MPs
marama.davidson@greens.org.nz;
julieanne.genter@greens.org.nz;
Golriz.Ghahraman@greens.org.nz;
Chloe.Swarbrick@greens.org.nz;
Kahurangi.Carter@greens.org.nz;
Rawiri.Waititi@parliament.govt.nz;
Debbie.Ngarewa-Packer@parliament.govt.nz;
Congratulations on your firm stand on the side of Palestinians
Kia ora koutou,
I want to say a very warm congratulations to you all as MPs who have stood up strong and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to stop the slaughter of thousands of Palestinian civilians.
When you do this you speak for me.
It’s important to condemn the killing of any civilians as war crimes under the Fourth Geneva Convention – not just the killing of Israeli civilians which the outgoing PM and incoming PM have done. They continue to refuse to condemn Israeli war crimes and the colonial, apartheid policies of the Israeli leadership.
We hope you will also respond to Palestinian calls for
1. Palestinians in Gaza to be put under UN protection and
2. Insist on an ICC investigation into all war crimes since the October 7 attack on Israel just as we did when Russia invaded and occupied parts of Ukraine. This investigation must include investigation into the crimes of genocide and apartheid.
Thank you again.
Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou.
(Your name)
6) Share the posters for Francesca Albanese’s public meetings in Auckland and Wellington on your social media sites. The posters and more details are a bit further down in the newsletter.
Te Pāti Māori speaks out on Gaza
Press Release 31 October 2023
Te Pāti Māori Statement on Gaza
Prime Minister Hipkins has been vocal in condemning HAMAS but silent on the war crimes of Israel as though Palestinian lives matter less.
The bombing of hospitals, homes and churches is not self-defence. The use of white phosphorous in densely populated areas is not self-defence. Collective punishment of civilians by cutting of food, water, and medical supplies is not self-defence.
The murder of 3,195 children is not self-defence.
We must never buy into the narrative that peace is “unrealistic”.
Global leaders, including NZ, have the ability to stop the killing of babies. It is the will that they are lacking.
By refusing to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the NZ Government is turning a blind eye to genocide. To turn a blind eye to injustice is to become an accomplice to that injustice.
Calling for safe-zones is not enough when safe-zones are being deliberately targeted – if a hospital is not safe, nowhere is safe.
Aotearoa can no longer be complicit to the killing of innocent people. We can no longer provide political cover for US-funded imperialism. We can no longer act as a Pacific spy base for the Five-Eyes Alliance.
The United States have poured billions of dollars into Israel’s Military and this brutal occupation will not stop as long as they continue to do so.
Te Pāti Māori have called for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador until Israel implement an immediate ceasefire. We are now adding the United States Ambassador to that list.
We demand NZ do all it can to stop the killing of innocent children.
Te Pāti Māori are calling on the New Zealand Government to:
Demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, & expel the Israeli & United States Ambassadors until that demand is met.
Recognise the State of Palestine, as we recognised the State of Israel in 1949.
Demand an end the occupation, the blockade, and the continued confiscation of Palestinian land.
350 Kiwi artists speak out calling for a ceasefire
Congratulations to our musicians, artists, actors, and the creative sector for this marvellous call of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Full details are here: https://artists4ceasefire.nz/
Francesca Albanese on flying visit to Aotearoa 20/21 November
Francesca was appointed last year as the United National Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Her role is to monitor the situation for Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation and report back to the United Nations.
With the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza her message is critically important. In her latest report to the United Nations two weeks ago she says:
“Today’s hell cannot obscure the violence of the past decades. To address the crisis, it is imperative to comprehend what led to it. This does not mean justifying or downplaying the heinous crimes against Israeli civilians on 7 October; rather it compels us to face that horror in the context of what preceded it. We must understand the devastating impact of Israel’s occupation and ever-expanding colonial presence on generations of Palestinian children".
She is visiting New Zealand on her way home from delivering the 2023 Edward Said Memorial Lecture in Australia. While here she will be speaking with media, politicians, civil society groups and at two public meetings about the situation in Palestine. Her visit here is being organised by the PACC (Palestinians in Aotearoa Co-ordinating Committee) and PSNA (Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa).
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”
We put out this media release in response to attacks on Chloe Swarbrick for using the chant during a speech at the Auckland rally last week.
PSNA supporters will be chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” at rallies and marches up and down the country this coming weekend.
This chant has been used for at least 50 years in protests for Palestinian human rights in New Zealand – long before the formation of Hamas.
It’s deeply worrying that the level of media engagement on Palestine/Israel is so low that irresponsible statements by David Seymour and the pro-Israel lobby – statements which have been debunked again and again over many years – continue to be repeated and amplified in the media.
“Why are we talking about this pro-Israel sideshow while thousands of Palestinians are being slaughtered in Gaza” says PSNA National Chair John Minto. “The media should be asking politicians why they won’t make a stand to stop the slaughter and call for a ceasefire”
Israel is a racist, apartheid state “from the river to the sea” – as declared by every credible human rights organisation such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Palestinians, no matter where they live in historic Palestine, face discrimination and oppression. The largest and most respected human rights group in Israel, B’Tselem, refers to Israel as “A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid”
All Palestinians deserve equal rights in their colonised homeland “from the river to the sea” and attempts by the pro-Israel lobby to “police” the public debate to ultimately suggest some peoples’ rights are inherently more important than others are a needless distraction.
“Instead of talking about the sensitivities of some in the pro-Israel lobby why are we not talking about the reality of Israel’s apartheid state which the indigenous people of Palestine are forced to live under in their own homeland”
A few pictures from last week’s rallies and marches
See also this interview with Ahmed Saadeh from the Palestinians in Aotearoa Co-ordinating Committee.
Auckland
Auckland
Whangarei
Outside the white house protesting about “Genocide Joe”
Wellington
Christchurch
Hawkes Bay (Warren Brewer and Charmaine Chase) – see the full Hawkes Bay story here (video)
Lighting up the museum again
Auckland War Memorial Museum again lit up – this time in the colours of the Palestinian flag as the Palestinian community used coloured cellophane over the lights as a mark of solidarity with Palestinians who face genocidal slaughter from Israel.
The winners in Israel’s war on Gaza
These graphs show the dramatic rise in the share value of the largest US arms manufacturers after Israel began its war on Gaza. The arms industry salivates when war breaks out and lines its pockets from the misery they support.
Friends of Hebron Petition
Sign the petition here and demand:
Safe return of Issa Amro and all displaced Palestinians to their homes.
Protection for all civilians and nonviolent defenders like Issa Amro.
Immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a resolution based on the historical roots of the conflict.
An end to Israel's ongoing ethnic cleansing, land-taking and system of apartheid in Palestine.
Waiheke evening of short films for Palestine
Friday 10 Nov. An evening of short films at Waiheke Community Cinema. Māori and Palestinian speakers. All welcome. 7pm. $10 entry.
Speakers: Rand Hazou – Palestine; Darlene Tana – Ngapuhi, Ngati Porou, Nga Rauru
More info: ph. 021 1752218 or 027 3234035.
Can you help complete this compelling documentary - $20,000 appeal target - $13,000 raised so far!
Join us in completing a compelling documentary showcasing the extraordinary power of people uniting across age, nationality, background, religion, and culture to provide unwavering support to a nation on its quest for hope and independence amidst enduring hardships.
THE STORY
Since 2001 Kiwi cardiac surgeon Dr Alan Kerr with his wife Hazel have made many voluntary missions to Palestine to help set up paediatric cardiac services for Palestinian children. This work has been supported by the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, "a secular, non- profit, non-political organisation dedicated to healing the wounds of war, occupation and poverty in the Middle East, regardless of their nationality, religion, race or gender."
Alan was often joined by a strong team of medical professionals from Aotearoa New Zealand. Their mission was to support locals to create their own cardiac unit for their children, including training local staff. A fully independent department is now functioning at the Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, treating 2-300 children annually from West Bank and Gaza, and a further unit is currently being developed in Ramallah, the administrative centre of the West Bank.
Renowned film director Paula Whetu Jones and team began a self-funded documentary to follow their work first in 2007, later in 2016, so the world can share in this powerful story of people helping each other and some who have gone on to survive numerous conflicts in the area.
In 2023 Dr Alan planned to make a final trip to see his friends, reconnect with former patients, get an update on the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund’s work and to receive an award of gratitude from Palestinian Government. A serious accident in Auckland prevented Dr Alan from making the trip but his daughter went instead. In the documentary we’ll see her discover firsthand the impact her parents made during their many trips to the Middle East.
THE PROJECT TO DATE:
The post-production editing is almost complete, but progress has been slow while the voluntary team have had to take on paid work.
Paula and team use an observational, candid look at subjects through personal interviews, on-the-go footage, as well as 3D-look inspired graphics to illustrate the geography and the archival stills. There is partially edited footage, drone footage and still photography that capture the beauty, as well as the juxtapositions and the unpredictability of the environment. The colours, the textures, the sounds and the scenery are captured, and material that draws attention to the shortcomings and challenges of the medical facilities, logistics and treatment available for Palestinian children in the region.
Importantly, the documentary shows the spirit of Palestinians and their collective goal to not be seen as victims, but rather as makers of their own path. Dr Kerr’s efforts inspire younger doctors to follow his example and save and heal many children, educate local staff, and leave a permanent, positive mark on the whole community. Hazel’s contributions in empowering young Palestinians through performing arts is another example that age is no barrier to helping those in need.
The focus on ‘ordinary’ Palestinians humanise the faces and the voices of those who live in this currently volatile region. The portrayal of the complexity and the politics of this region, by the mainstream media, often does not pay enough attention to the human beings living under these challenging circumstances.
The theme of this documentary is about people reaching out to help and support one another regardless of age, country of origin, background, religion and culture and the impact it makes.
Renowned film director Paula Whetu Jones has been writing and directing for film and television and produced a range of works over the last 20 years. See https://www.paulawhetujones.nz/
For more on Dr Alan Kerr’s work see https://www.pcrf.net/news/dr-alan-kerr-the-father-of-pediatric-cardiac-surgery-in-palestine.html
For more on Palestine Children’s Relief Fund please see https://www.pcrf.net/
THE ASK:
The documentary needs final editing and with your financial help, can be completed by the end of 2023.
Please help raise the $20,000 needed.
Donations can be made by sending to the account of PHRC (Palestine Human Rights Campaign) 06 0145 0045138 00 Please provide surname as a reference and send advice to phrcfundraiser@gmail.com
Donations will be receipted fully but do not qualify for rebate as PHRC does not have charitable status.
$2,000 has been pledged already but we need a super charged effort to raise the remaining $18,000 by November 30th 2023.
Any help you can give to spread the word and encourage contributions from your friends and networks is much appreciated! Together we can bring this inspiring untold story of hope, compassion and healing to the world.
Janfrie Wakim and Marjory Lewis PHRC Auckland
Watch out for this man promoting racism and apartheid
Here he is – the Israeli ambassador – watch out for him around Aotearoa New Zealand – if you hear of any planned appearances or speaking engagements please contact us urgently: Email apartheid-Israel@PSNA.nz or text 027 4 APARTHEID or 027427278.
Israeli ambassador Ran Yaakoby
Discounts on this great book by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe
Important stories from the Web
Here is a small selection from the numerous stories from the last week
General
Israeli doctors urge the bombing of Gaza hospitals here
Exterminate all the brutes here
The barbarians are back here
Israel’s final solution for the Palestinians here
A war rages in Gaza – where is humanity? here
Jonathan Cook on the BBC on October 7th here
Lenni Brenner: 51 documents – Zionist collaboration with the Nazis here
Exterminate all the brutes here
Israel’s final solution for the Palestinians here
South Africa recalls diplomats from Israel – cites genocide in Gaza here
Zionism during the Holocaust here
Aotearoa New Zealand
Palestinians rally support for family and friends in Gaza here
Act leader accuses Green MP of repeating a pro-Hamas statement here
Pro-Palestinian protestors rally in Hawkes Bay here (video)
Thousands across New Zealand continue to rally calling for a ceasefire in Gaza here
Catholic statement on the Israel/Hamas war here
Reminder: Dates for Palestine Solidarity in 2023
Israel apartheid week has been added to the dates for likely local and national Palestine solidarity activity this year.
28 Mar – 4 Apr Israel Apartheid Week
30 Mar Land Day Palestine
5 Apr Palestinian Childs Day
9 Apr Deir Yassin massacre - Irgun Terrorism - 107-120 Palestinian men, women and children massacred
17 Apr Palestinian Prisoners Day
11 May World Kufiya Day
15 May Nakba Day – marking the mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Palestine in 1948
5 Jun Nakba Day - Start of 1967 War - Land Grab – Invasion of Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza, Egypt and Syria - 5 June 1967 – 10 June 1967
20 Jun Attack on Gaza - 6–21 May 2021 (2 weeks and 1 day)
16-18 Sep 40th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacres
28 Sep Second Intifada - 28 Sept 2000 – 8 Feb 2005
2 Nov Balfour Declaration
29 Nov United Nations - International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
8 Dec First Intifada - 8 Dec 1987 – 13 Sept 1993
Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign?
We will need some serious money to make our campaign as effective as possible. For example, we will need somewhere in the vicinity of $25,000 to bring speakers to New Zealand over the next year and organise large public meetings to help spread the message.
You can help. Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign? In other words, can you afford to make an automatic payment of $5 per month to support the Palestinian struggle? (If you can afford more that would be great!)
Our account details are:
Account name: Palestine Solidarity Network
Account number: 38-9015-0849542-00
We are happy to provide a receipt upon request (however, we are not a registered charity so this is not tax-deductible)
In Occupied Palestine daily newsletter – an invitation to subscribe from Leslie Bravery
Because of mainstream news media complicity, daily headlines and commentary only occasionally ever mention the relentless Israeli violence in Palestine, not even the frequent air strikes!
However, daily news and statistics regarding the violence Palestinians are forced to live under are regularly reported on in the “In Occupied Palestine daily newsletter”, sourced and compiled for easy reading and correlation chiefly from the Palestinian Monitoring Group's daily situation reports.
The In Occupied Palestine daily newsletter continues to be circulated, by email, worldwide to subscribers only, as it has been over the last two decades.
Please contact lesliebravery@icloud.com if you also wish to become a subscriber.
Merchandise for sale
We have Merchandise you can buy including T-shirts from our website.
Go here - https://www.psna.nz/shop
More ways you can get involved
Forward this Newsletter – If you know people who may be interested in this movement, please forward this Newsletter to them.
Join in local activities in your area monthly Rallies - In Auckland at 2.00 pm on the first Saturday of every month. Please consider doing the same in your community. Contact Secretary@PSNA.nz if you would like to know where and how to get Flags and Banners
Help set up a Students for Justice in Palestine groups on your campus
Tell Your MP your opinions on Divestment and Sanctions of Israel.
Write Letters to Newspapers – Call Talkback Radio
Keep in touch with the campaign on social media
o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network website: https://www.PSNA.nz
o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/671376706283605/
o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network email: Secretary@PSNA.nz
The Palestine Human Rights Campaign produces the In Occupied Palestine newsletter. It is a regular daily newsletter on the daily situation in Palestine, compiled by Leslie Bravery and emailed to subscribers. If you would also like to become a subscriber, please contact Leslie at “lesliebravery @ icloud .com” (remove the spaces to use as an email address) for further information.
Keep Updated on our Facebook pages and websites (listed below)
Human rights for Uyghur refugees - In line with our support for human rights for the people of Palestine we have added our name to the petition in support of human rights for Uyghur refugees so they can be included in the government’s refugee quota. PSNA members who wish to also sign this petition can do so here - https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/open-letter-let-s-show-compassion-to-the-uyghur-community
PSNA Groups
PSNA National Committee
Website: www.PSNA.nz
Chair - John Minto: Chair@PSNA.nz
Secretary - Neil Scott: Secretary@PSNA.nz
Regional Groups
Bay of Islands PSN Bay of Islands (Email)
Whangarei PSN Whangarei (Facebook)
Auckland PSN Auckland – Tamaki Makaurau (Website)
Hamilton Palestine Human Rights Campaign Waikato (Facebook)
Tauranga Tauranga Moana 4 Palestine (Facebook)
Napier/Hastings Aotearoa Standing with Palestine (Facebook)
Palmerston North PSN Palmerston North (Email)
New Plymouth PSN Taranaki (Facebook)
Wellington PSN Wellington (Email)
Nelson Te Tau Ihu (Nelson) Palestine (Facebook)
Christchurch PSN Christchurch (Facebook)
Dunedin Dunedin for Justice in Palestine (Facebook)
Invercargill PSNA Invercargill (Email)