PSNA Newsletter No 135 - May 9 2024
8 Haratua 2024
8 May 2024
Newsletter No 135
Kia ora koutou,
Whanganui Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa successfully petitions District Council to call for ceasefire in Gaza
In an impressive local action Whanganui PSNA supporters, led by Orlando Bright and Sophi Reinholt, took two issues to their local council on Tuesday this week: A petition requesting the council call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and also for the council to change its procurement policy to exclude companies identified by the United Nations Human Rights Council as complicit in the building and maintenance of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.
The council made the call for ceasefire and has accepted the petition to change its procurement policy which will be followed up at a later meeting.
Here are three media reports from the successful presentation:
Whanganui District Council calls for immediate and permanent ceasefire here (NZ Herald)
Whanganui Council calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza here (RNZ)
Council upheld human rights supporting ceasefire in Gaza here (Stuff)
Before the council made the decision Sophi Reinholt from Whanganui PSNA made this powerful, impassioned speech to the council:
Sophi Reinholt
Kia ora koutou, ko Sophi Reinholt taku ingoa.
Dr Nafiz Ghamri, a Kiwi-Palestinian cardiologist who has served our community for 19 years, was meant to be here this morning but he has given me leave to speak in his stead. I’m sure you can appreciate how much Nafiz wanted to be here to speak to you all. Nafiz has personally lost his first cousin, who was shot by an armed drone while assisting people escaping the debris after a bombing. His uncle has been kidnapped, as has his deaf and mute aunty. Their whereabouts are still unknown. He has lost family members who were nurses and ambulance drivers, all of whom worked at Al Shifa hospital. There are 40 members of his family still unaccounted for. Their houses have been confirmed as having been destroyed but due to communication black-outs, Nafiz is struggling to reach them. He doesn’t know if they are sheltering in tents in Rafah, or if they are under the rubble.
But Nafiz has patients in the Whanganui community who need him and so once again he puts others before himself, before his own very pressing need to speak about this issue.
Dr Ghamri was born at Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Since the start of the War on Gaza six months ago, thousands of displaced civilians had been sheltering in all the major hospitals in the area.
Tragically, this hospital, along with 24 of the 36 hospitals and health care facilities in Gaza, has been completely destroyed. Another of these hospitals, Al Shifa hospital, was described by doctors working for Doctors Without Borders as the “beating heart of the Gazan medical system.” After a two- week long assault on Al Shifa Hospital by the Israeli Defence Forces, it is now the site of mass civilian graves that the international community, including the European Union and the United Nations, has demanded independent investigation into.
Until there is a ceasefire, there can be no end to the suffering of civilians, on both sides. Until there is a ceasefire, international humanitarian aid agencies cannot operate safely. The passage of aid cannot be guaranteed, and essentials such as water, food, maternity kits, antibiotics and anesthetics will continue to be blocked from entering Gaza. The head of the United Nations World Food Programme has stated that: there is ‘full blown famine in Northern Gaza moving its way South.’ Without a ceasefire, foreign war correspondents will still not be allowed unhindered access to Gaza - just one of so many worrying precedents which are being set by this War.
So what does Whanganui District Council have to do with calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza? A place that most of us here today will never get to visit, and whose people we may never meet?
Well, what is happening in Gaza is affecting the residents of Whanganui. It is affecting Palestinian, Lebanese and Israeli citizens here in our community, and all of us who are bearing witness to the devastation. Without political pressure, on a nationwide and then international scale, nothing will stop. Right now, Israel is being led by the most right-wing government it has ever had, an extremist right-wing government, one that is dedicated to the end of the “two state solution”, one that has displayed contempt for international law, international conventions, international humanitarian aid agencies, and United Nations Security Council rulings. There are weekly protests in Israel calling for Netanyahu’s resignation, with thousands upon thousands of Israelis in attendance. Only through intense political pressure from the ground up can we see an end to the violence being wrought upon Gaza and the West Bank.
At Whanganui PSNA, we want to see ALL the hostages brought home. We want to see an end to the mass slaughter. In 215 days, over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, over two thirds of them being women and children, with thousands more still unaccounted for under the rubble. Nothing justifies this. Nothing. Not self defence, not human shields, nothing. We want an end to a military bombardment that has left 19,000 children orphaned or separated from their parents. All of these numbers feel inconceivable, the scale is too vast. I ask you to remember that each and every one of these numbers represents somebody’s everything.
A United Nations Development Programme assessment has stated that they estimate that if a permanent ceasefire were to be called tomorrow, it would take approximately 16 years to clear the debris, and the report notes (and I quote) it will take "approximately 80 years to restore all the fully destroyed housing units" assuming the pace of reconstruction follows the trend of several previous Gaza conflicts (end quote). More than half of the housing in Gaza has been destroyed, alongside all thirteen of Gaza’s universities.
The cost of rebuilding Gaza grows ‘exponentially’ each day the fighting continues. The debris is littered with toxins such as white phosphorus, around 7,500 tonnes of unexploded ordnance, and the remains of loved ones.
A United Nations Development Programme assessment has stated that they estimate that if a permanent ceasefire were to be called tomorrow, it would take approximately 16 years to clear the debris, and the report notes (and I quote) it will take "approximately 80 years to restore all the fully destroyed housing units" assuming the pace of reconstruction follows the trend of several previous Gaza conflicts (end quote). More than half of the housing in Gaza has been destroyed, alongside all thirteen of Gaza’s universities.
The cost of rebuilding Gaza grows ‘exponentially’ each day the fighting continues. The debris is littered with toxins such as white phosphorus, around 7,500 tonnes of unexploded ordnance, and the remains of loved ones
We at Whanganui PSNA want Whanganui District Council to once again prove that you stand for human rights, for civilian rights, as you did in 2022 when you unanimously called for a ceasefire in the case of the Russia-Ukraine War.
We want you to address our two petition submissions signed by over 2,200 local residents in the space of 2 ½ weeks - 34 hours of signature collecting to be precise. To be clear, that’s a signature a minute. We want you to consider the appeal by 48 local businesses and organizations to stand for a ceasefire and to ensure that Council’s procurement policy legally aligns with the United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 2334.
We are a group of peaceful volunteers who went out and heard the voices of the community. We were thanked, again and again, by Whanganui residents for giving them the opportunity to help, to feel that they were taking action in some small way. And we were told, again and again, to ‘keep up the good work’. If we had had more time to engage with the wider community and this issue had been less pressing to present to Council immediately, we are sure we would have had even more overwhelming support for this motion.
What we are witnessing here is not ‘normal.’ This is not ‘business as usual’. The War on Gaza has broken too many records, too many conventions of warfare. Those of us bearing witness cannot help but experience a deep trauma on behalf of and alongside the people of Gaza. The countless horrific images and stories coming out of Gaza are so inhumane, so unbearable, that I personally, and many others, will never be able to forget, and we will be forever changed by these events.
It needs to stop. We need you, Whanganui, to be the moral compass that points the way for our country’s leaders. We need the Whanganui District Council to work with us to ensure that bigotry is rejected by this council, that our community rejects anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and racism, and to say that this council, this place, stands for human rights. A call for a ceasefire from our political leadership gives our community clear guidance on what is acceptable and what is not. In the absence of this, misguided declarations that are steeped in hatred are emboldened. Taking a stance to advocate for an end to violence against civilians makes our community safer for everyone. Criticism of the government of Israel is not anti-Semitism. My husband Mark, sitting here in the audience today, is Jewish, and he and his family firmly states: NOT IN OUR NAME. NEVER AGAIN MEANS NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE.
All loss of civilian life is abhorrent. All loss of civilian life needs to be investigated and tried by organisations such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
For this, we need you. We need you, Whanganui District Council, to speak up in order to be heard. We need you to give voice to our plea for a ceasefire. Because it is ONLY with a ceasefire that we can begin the process of justice. It is ONLY through the process of justice that we can begin to plant the seeds from which peace will grow. Thank you for your time today, for hearing the voices of our community, and for standing on the right side of history. If I may leave you with one final quote from the World Health Organisation as of this morning: “A ceasefire is urgently needed for the sake of humanity.”
PSNA National meeting 18/19 May 2024 in Auckland – make your travel arrangement NOW – we’d love to see you!
A reminder our 2024 national meeting will be in Auckland on the weekend of 18/19 May. The venue:
Trades Hall,
147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn.
Auckland
The keynote speaker will be Mazin Qumsiyeh from the Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University (see more about Mazin later in this newsletter).
To register to come please email our National Secretary Neil Scott at secretary@PSNA.nz to let him know you are coming and if you need help with travel costs or billets for the Friday/Saturday nights. Don’t let the cost be a barrier to you being with us.
The meeting is our most important organising event for the year and the most important national meeting in many years. Check out the DRAFT agenda below. We are always keen for an injection of new people, new ideas and new energy!
Does that sound like you? Email Neil now!
DRAFT agenda for National Meeting
Saturday 18 May
8.30am Tea/coffee and registration
9.00am Karakia and Mihi:
Introductions (John Minto)
9.10am Keynote Speaker Mazin Qumsiyeh from the Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University.
10.10am Brief reports from PSNA National Chair John Minto and PSNA National Secretary/Treasurer Neil Scott
10.30am Organising during the genocide and beyond (Chair Ava Mulla) discussing the strengths and weaknesses of our organisation in response to the genocide in Gaza
Local experiences around the country – the good the bad and the ugly! (everyone)
Creating a graphical timeline of the movement’s mahi in the last 7 months
(This is a session where we roll out a large sheet of paper, and get each area from North to South to reflect the work they have been doing on the paper. The purpose of this session is to get everyone to think about what they have been doing, noting down or creatively expressing their contribution, what has worked, and what hasn’t including at national level. This will then provide us all with a collective picture of the movements footprint on this whenua, rather than just what is happening in our localities. Organisers can then speak to the meeting of their region’s work as everyone listens)
11.30am MORNING TEA
11.45am Setting the scene for us in Aotearoa New Zealand going forward (panel discussion with Chair Sophi Reinholt TBC)
Working/organising/co-ordinating with Palestinians and Palestinian groups (input from Palestinians Ahmed Saadeh, Yasser Abdulaal, Layan Khalil, Ahmed Saadeh, Maher Nazal, Billy Hania, Abdalla Gouda, Randa Abassi, Rand Hazou, Mayer Mustafa etc TBC)
Welcoming the influx of new people into solidarity with Palestine (Orlando Bright TBC)
What values should underpin the work of PSNA? (Bianca to introduce draft)
Improving public understanding of the Palestinian struggle (Janfrie Wakim TBC)
The movement – opportunities and challenges (Brandon Johnstone TBC)
12.45pm Proposals for changes needed in PSNA structure and leadership – Neil Scott will introduce a discussion to be continued on Sunday morning with decisions and elections to take place)
1.15pm LUNCH – provided at the conference venue
2.15pm Workshops 1 – Networking with other groups (please choose one)
Working with Māori organisations (Te Otāne Huata TBC)
Religious groups – Christian, Islamic, Jewish etc (Kathleen Rushton/Steve Liddle/Ahmed Saadeh/Billy Hania/Rand Hazou TBC)
Trade Unions (Anna Lee, Mike Treen (TBC)
Student organisations (Layan Khalil TBC)
3.30pm Plenary - report back from Workshop 1
3.45pm Workshops 2 – Strategies for local organising for BDS (Please choose one)
Campaigning on our six BDS targets (Obela humus, Ahava beauty products, Sodastream, BP and Caltex, HP, McDonalds) – strategies and tactics Kathleen Cole, New Plymouth and Warren Brewer, Hawkes Bay, Julie Jones, Nelson)
Improving our work and reach on social media (Brandon Johnstone TBC)
Using UNSC2334 at local body level (Following the successful campaign to get ECAN to incorporate this into their procurement policy) (John Minto/Ava Mulla/Orlando Bright TBC)
4.30pm AFTERNOON TEA
4.45pm Plenary – report back from Workshop 2
5.30pm Reports
Reports from Kia Ora Gaza doctors returning from Gaza (doctors! TBC)
Update on progress with Freedom Flotilla to Gaza (Roger Fowler TBC)
Report back from First Global Anti-Apartheid Conference for Palestine (Layan Khalil and John Minto)
6.00pm DINNER at conference venue
Sunday 19 May
9.00am Understanding the struggle against colonisation in Palestine and its links to anti-colonial struggles in Aotearoa, Australia, West Papua, Western Sahara etc. A panel discussion led by Palestinians.
10.00pm Palestine and the media – and future media training sessions – Don Carson
10.30am Looking after ourselves and each other for the long term – Bex Silver (TBC)
10.45am Confirming our statement of PSNA values and continuing the discussion from the previous day on PSNA structure and leadership positions
11.15am Election of National Chair, National Secretary and National Committee (Chair Janfrie Wakim)
11.30am FINISH
12.00pm Media conference for Mazin Qumsiyeh at the venue.
2pm – Palestine solidarity event – everyone welcome to join the Auckland crew!
Rallies, marches, vigils and protests around the motu this weekend
To view events around Aotearoa:
· Go to the PSNA Homepage – www.PSNA.nz
· Scroll down to the button “For a list of events Nationwide, please click here - Check back often for updates”
· Click the button
· Check back on Friday for any moves, adds or changes
Events list
Nationwide
Saturday 11 May
World keffiyeh day
See here - https://www.instagram.com/keffiyehday?igshid=iyjrizrjb4hj
North Island
Opononi – Gathering for Palestine
Sunday May 12
1:30 pm
Outside the Four Square, Opononi
Whangarei – Rally
Saturday 11 May
11:00 am
Whangārei Town Basin in front of Hundertwasser Building
Waiheke Island – Auckland
Saturday May 11
8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Ostend Market, Waiheke Island
Auckland Picket – US Consulate
Friday 10 May
12:00 mid-day
23 Customs Street East
Auckland – Banners making session
Friday 10 May & Saturday 11 May
10:00 am – late evening - Both days
Corban Estate Art Centre, 2 Mt Lebanon Lane, Henderson
Text Steve on 021 256 511 For further details
Bring - Rip-stop fabric, Strong duct tape, Cable ties, Eyelets, prepare a scale drawing of your banner
Auckland – Rally and March
Sunday May 12
2:00 pm
Aotea Square, Queen Street
Hamilton - Rally
Saturday 11 May
1:00 pm
Flynn Park, Hamilton
Rotorua – Flags for Todd McClay
Thursday 9 May
4:00 pm
National MP Todd McClays Office - 1301 Amohau St, Rotorua
Napier - Rally
Saturday 11 May
11:30 am
Marine Parade Soundshell Roundabout
Hastings - Rally
Sunday May 12
2:00 pm
Hastings Town Clock – Hastings CBD
Palmerston North - Rally
Sunday May 12
2:00 pm
The Square, Palmerston North
New Plymouth – Flags on the Bridge
Friday 10 May
4:30 pm
Paynters Ave Bridge, New Plymouth
New Plymouth – Rally
Saturday 11 May
1:00 pm
The Landing, 1 Ariki Street, New Plymouth
Whanganui - Rally
Saturday 11 May
11:00 am
Riverside Market, Whanganui
Carterton
Every Tuesday
12:00 midday
Memorial Square.
Martinborough – Gathering for Palestine
Every Wednesday
11:00 am
The square at the top of Kitchener St, Martinborough
Masterton
Every Sunday
9:30 am
Town Hall Lawn
Featherston
Every Saturday
11:00 am
The Squircle (opposite the op shop).
Wellington
No Rally this weekend
South Island
Nelson – Rally
Saturday 11 May
Check out the Te Tau Ihu Palestine Solidarity Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/TeTIPalestine/
Blenheim
Saturday 11 May
11:00 am
Blenheim Railway Station
Christchurch – Rally
Saturday 11 May
1:00 pm
Bridge of Remembrance, Cashel Street
Dunedin - Rally
Saturday 11 May
2:00 pm
Otago Museum Reserve to the Octagon, Dunedin
Invercargill - Rally
Sunday 12 May
1:00 pm
Wachner place Invercargill
Three things you can do now with just a few clicks…
1) Copy and paste this email to the heads of news at our state broadcasters TVNZ and RNZ:
Phil O’Sullivan
Head of News and Current Affairs
Television New Zealand
Mark Stevens
Chief News Officer
Radio New Zealand
Kia ora Mr O’Sullivan and Mr Stevens,
As supposed news and current affairs for our state media outlets which should set the highest standards of journalism, please explain why your news is so Eurocentric, favouring Israel and sidelining Palestinians.
You both use almost exclusively news from three European news agencies - AP, Reuters and the BBC - or from major US or UK based newspapers such as the Telegraph, the Times, the Washington Post or the New York Times.
This reporting centres on Israeli narratives, Israeli reasoning, Israeli explanations and Israeli justifications for what they are doing to Palestinians. Israeli spokespeople are front and centre and quoted extensively and directly. Palestinian voices, when they are covered, are usually at the margins. On TV in particular Palestinians are most often portrayed as the incoherent victims of overwhelming grief.
It's inevitable that when it comes to setting the agenda for how we perceive what’s going on in Palestine, Israeli versions of the “truth”, which are dominated by lies, are allowed to dominate.
The last seven months is riddled with examples. Just two days after the October 7th attack on Israel, pro-Palestinian protestors were accused of chanting “Gas the Jews” outside the Sydney Opera House. The story was carried around the world through mainstream media as a nasty anti-semitic slur on Palestinians and their supporters. Four months later, after an intensive investigation New South Wales police concluded it never happened. The words were never chanted.
However the Radio New Zealand website today still carries a Reuters report saying “A rally outside the Sydney Opera House two days after the Hamas attack had ignited heated debate after a small group were filmed chanting "Gas the Jews".
Even if RNZ did the right thing and removed the report now the old adage is true: “A lie is halfway around the world before the truth has got its trousers on”. Despite reporting the pro-Israel lie you Four months later and the police report is not news but the damage has been done.
Numerous other examples can be found in your reporting where Israeli lies are reported but the debunking of those lies is buried. The 40 beheaded babies, UNRWA staff involved in the Hamas-led attack of October 7th and many more examples of Israeli propaganda which were lapped up by western media, including RNZ and TVNZ, stand as testament to the failure of RNZ and TVNZ to report accurately and without bias to New Zealanders.
TVNZ has been particularly appalling with the dreadful Q and A interview with the Israeli ambassador and the almost as bad interview with the Palestinian Authority representative where the journalist pushed, not once, not twice but three times a blatant lie to smear the Palestinian resistance.
Just to be clear, Hamas has the same policy as New Zealand, the US and most of the world – support for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders. Putting Israeli lies in the mouth of a New Zealand journalist makes them no less odious.
I’m looking forward to your response.
(your name)
2) If you didn’t do this from the last newsletter – please do it now! Post this in your social media to encourage support to have genocidal Israel expelled from the Paris Olympics.
3) And think again about coming to the national PSNA meeting on 18/19 May. If you can come - book your travel to Auckland for the PSNA national meeting on 18/19 May and then send an email to our Secretary Neil Scott Secretary@PSNA.nz to let him know you are coming and whether you will need help with travel costs and a billet for the meeting (more details of the national meeting are below)
Mazin Qumsiyeh’s visit to Aotearoa New Zealand from mid-May to early June
Poster for Mazin’s Wellington public meeting
Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh from Bethlehem University is coming to New Zealand on a two-week tour from mid-May to early June. PSNA is pleased to be one of the groups helping to organise his visit.
Mazin will give the keynote address at PSNA’s national meeting in Auckland on 18 May.
Mazin is the founder and volunteer director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University. (Bethlehem is in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the West Bank) He is a Christian Palestinian which means he brings different insights into the struggle for freedom and human rights for Palestinians.
Some of Mazin’s talks can be found online here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/vCV2EdL36k8?si=drEA_mc90y4ME_8V
https://youtu.be/JPWjuqztLyU?si=yH8jrza3Tx6dnGSm
https://youtu.be/IZFSTAZ4_jw?si=6ibEicIp9WcYtvNU
https://youtu.be/xAIP7-YnexU?si=DECSvuiUh3tvwZtb
While he is here he will be speaking with politicians and academics as well as addressing public meetings, school students, religious leaders, climate activists, universities and rotary clubs etc. He will be speaking about the latest Israeli war on Gaza and the Palestinian struggle for self-determination as well as issues of climate change, bio-diversity and sustainability in Palestine.
Details of public events for Mazin will be in future newsletters – a few to start with are here:
Auckland:
Saturday 18th May, 9am, Keynote address at PSNA national conference, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road
Saturday 18th May, 1pm, David Wakim Memorial lecture, St Mary’s Church Parnell.
Hamilton:
Tuesday 21st May, 6.30pm Catholic Cathedral (494 Grey Street)
Christchurch:
Monday 27th May, 7pm, Transitional Cathedral, 234 Hereford Street, Christchurch
Wellington:
Tuesday 28th May, 7pm, St Andrews on the Terrace Church Hall, 30 The Terrace, Wellington
Queenstown:
Friday 31st May, Sherwood Restaurant, 554 Frankton Road, 6pm arrive for 6.30pm to 7.30pm meeting
Nationwide mobilisation for Palestine – Thursday 27 June
Mark the date in your calendar now. More details in coming newsletters.
Flip Book from FIANZ (Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand)
Take the time to look at this devastating photo essay
1. Flip book: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/16438a037f.html
2. PDF: In Our Times.pdf
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza ready to go from Türkiye but held up by Israeli pressure on supporting countries
Gaza Aid flotilla, due for launch last week has been delayed by ‘Israeli tactics’ here
Keep up to date with developments here https://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/
Letter from Auckland University Staff to the Vice Chancellor supporting student protests on campus
Tēnā koe Vice-Chancellor Dawn Freshwater,
As members of staff of the University of Auckland, we are deeply concerned by your announcement of 30 April 2024 advising students and staff of your decision to not support the establishment of an overnight encampment by students protesting in solidarity with Palestine.
Firstly, we are concerned that your announcement failed to acknowledge that our students were planning to establish an encampment to urge the University of Auckland to divest from any entities and corporations enabling Israel’s ongoing military violence against Palestinians in Gaza, where at least 34,535 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military operations since 7 October 2023. Importantly, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese recently found that there are “reasonable grounds” to determine that this violence by Israel amounts to the commission of the crime of genocide. Rather than acknowledging this cause, your announcement disappointingly mischaracterised and minimised Israel’s violence as a “conflict” and the resulting humanitarian crisis as a “heightened geopolitical tension.”
Secondly, we are concerned that in making your decision, you sought advice from the New Zealand Police rather than from your own students and staff. We believe that this approach to such an important matter falls short of the “values which bind us as a university community” you mentioned in your announcement.
Thirdly, we are concerned that the reason you have provided for your decision is that the University of Auckland needs to avoid “introducing the significant risks that such encampments have brought to other university campuses.” We believe that this reasoning erroneously places the blame for any safety risks in overseas campuses on students and staff who established peaceful encampments, rather than on university administrators who decided to seek unnecessary police intervention to break up these encampments, which has then led to the unjust arrests and detainments of students and staff.
Finally, we are concerned that your decision to seek the advice of the New Zealand Police and blame peaceful encampments for safety risks in other campuses suggests that you intend to call the New Zealand Police on your students and staff who decide to exercise their right to protest with a peaceful encampment on campus grounds. We believe that making such a suggestion to students and staff also falls short of the “values which bind us as a university community” you mentioned in your announcement.
Accordingly, we urge you to reverse your decision and to offer your full support to students and staff who may choose to exercise their right to protest by establishing a peaceful encampment on campus grounds.
We also urge you not to discipline or penalise students and staff who may choose to participate in peaceful protests and encampments in any way, and to engage with them in good faith and in accordance with the “values which bind us as a university community.”
Ngā mihi nui,
Fuimaono Dylan Asafo
Associate Professor Rhys Jones
Professor Papaarangi Reid
Professor Emeritus Jane Kelsey
Dr Suliana Mone
Professor Emeritus David V Williams
Professor Andrew Jull
Associate Professor Donna Cormack
Dr Nav Sidhu
Associate Professor George Laking
Mia Carroll
Ankita Askar
Caitlin Merriman
Dr Rebekah Jaung
Dr Eileen Joy
Sione Ma’u
Arin Hectors
Dr Ian Hyslop
Dr Fleur Te Aho
Associate Professor Treasa Dunworth
Professor Nicholas Rowe
Dr Emalani Case
Emmy Rākete
Kendra Cox
Zoe Poutu Fay
Kenzi Yee
Niamh Pritchard
Associate Professor Lisa Uperesa
Eru Kapa-Kingi
Daniel Wilson
Kate Jack
Dr Karly Burch
Sean Sturm
Campbell Talaepa
Professor Liz Beddoe
Erin Jia
Emily Sposato
Fahizah Sahib
Dina Sharp
Dr Murray Olsen
Dr Cynthia Wensley
Sasha Rodenko
Nina Dyer
Renz Alinabon
Gabbi Courtenay
Atama Thompson
Professor Paula Lorgelly
Jess Kelly
Amelia Kendall
Abigail Siddayao-Ramos
Bianca Parker
Georgia Nemaia
Muhammad Bazaan Ghaznavi
Erica Farrelly
Dr Vivienne Kent
Morgan Allen
Carrie Rudzinski
Thomas Gregory
Lauren Brentnall
Lily Chen
Awhi Marshall
Max Stephens
Dr. Charlotte Toma
Sonia Fonua
Benjamin Kauri Doyle
Kyrin Bhula
Isobel Rist
Kelly Young
Ngahuia Harrison
Briar Meads
Emma Parangi
Mai AlSharaf
Dr Anita Mudaliar
Dave Henricks
Maryam Madawi
Yeray Madroño
Marnie Reinfelds
Maizurah Maidin
Nida Zuhena
Professor Virginia Braun
Bridget Conor
Amani Mashal
Anastasia Papadakis
Ayla Hoeta Lecturer, Assistant Associate Dean Maaori
Associate Professor Elana Curtis
Professor Nicola Gaston
Remember BDS for Aotearoa New Zealand
Remember our big six BDS targets for Aotearoa New Zealand?
Obela Hummus
Ahava skin care products
Sodastream
HP (Hewlett-Packard)
BP and Caltex
McDonalds
Rebuilding the Gaza Centre for Human Rights
Damage to the Gaza Centre of Human Rights Office after an Israeli air attack in 2021
PSNA has been a long-time supporter of the Gaza Centre for Human Rights. The Centre is making an appeal for funds to rebuild at the earliest opportunity. New Zealander Julie Webb-Pullman worked at the centre for several years as an international expert on gathering evidence of Israeli war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
Before the latest Israeli attacks the centre had sent over 2000 claims of war crimes relating to Israel’s attack on Gaza in 2014 and its targeting the Great March of Return protests in March 2018.
We will have more about the centre in future newsletters.
In the meantime, people can donate to:
Account name: PALESTINE SOLIDARITY NETWORK
Account number: 38-9015-0849542-02 (Please put GCHR in the reference)
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
Important stories from the Web
Editor’s picks
Israel undoubtedly committing genocide says Holocaust scholar Amos Goldberg here
Norway accuses West of double standards here
27 years in captivity – free Palestine’s Mandela here
International community must support ICC’s work here
Ben Gvir calls for soldiers to “kill” not arrest Palestinians who surrender in Gaza here
US campus protests and the establishment’s automatic suppression here
Media under attack in Gaza here
Netanyahu’s war crimes and the ICC here
KFC shuts down dozens of Malaysia branches amid boycotts over Gaza here
Why hasn’t the US called for an investigation into mass graves in Gaza here
UN chief calls for independent probe into Gaza mass graves here
The US/Israel plan for Gaza here
US working to prevent arrest warrant for Netanyahu here
Majority of Rafah’s 600,000 children face injury, illness, malnutrition, trauma, disabilities says UN here
Palestinian journalists covering Gaza awarded 2024 UNESCO Press Freedom Prize here
Which is worse, Israel’s lies about Gaza or its western backers who repeat those lies? here
Trinidad and Tobaga recognise the state of Palestine here
Other stories
Palestinian men rounded up and stripped by Israeli forces in Gaza before being taken to an undisclosed location (Screengrab/X)
Israel planning a ring of checkpoints to prevent men from fleeing Rafah here
Why we need human rights now more than ever here
A student protest guide to keeping safer on the streets here and here
Republican Senators Threaten the ICC Prosecutor over Possible Israel Arrest Warrants here
Israel begins evacuating part of Rafah ahead of threatened assault here
US finds five Israeli military units guilty of Gross human rights violations here
Intense summer heat increases fatalities, displaced people’s suffering here
Israel’s war on Gaza causes over $3 billion in transport losses here
What role do US tech giants play in powering Israeli war crimes here
Google fired me for standing against tech complicity in Gaza genocide – but justice cannot be stopped here
Why scapegoating UNRWA must stop here
The real purpose of Israel’s occupation of Palestine here
The Albanese government needs to come clean on its support for Israeli war crimes here
Investigation must be opened into Israeli potential use of banned thermal weapons which cause victims’ bodies to melt or evaporate here
Cable News Viewers Have a Skewed Attitude Toward Gaza War, Survey Finds here
How Israel relies on foreign fighters to carry out its war crimes here
Israeli finance minister calls for “utter destruction” of Gaza’s Rafah and end to truce talks here
Netanyahu says Israel will invade Rafah as Gaza ceasefire talks continue here
Video shows pro-Israeli counter protester shout “kill the Jews” to provoke police intervention at Gaza campus protests here
UK’s deputy foreign secretary queries legality of Israel’s Rafah offensive here
ICJ allows Nicaragua case against Germany to proceed here
Estimated 10,000 Palestinians buried under rubble civil defence says here
How an “anti-semitic hoax” drowned the discovery of mass graves in Gaza here
Dozens of journalism professors urge NYT to revise October 7th sexual violence report here
How Germany sacrificed its democracy for the sake of Israel here
Gaza healthcare workers suffering with mental health amid war here
The Australian Jew dubbed traitor for speaking out against the war in Gaza here
It is indifference which is killing Palestinians here
The bloody history defending western civilisation here
Bernie Sanders responds to Netanyahu here
We need an exodus from Zionism here (Naomi Klein)
Rules of the game here
Australian Council of Trade Unions statement on Haza here
Ireland’s solidarity with Palestine here
Over 10,000 women killed in Gaza says UN agency here
Only path to peace: Minister backs two-state solution here
‘Dead on arrival’: Doctors back from Gaza describe horrific hospital scenes, decimated health system here
Right wing pro Israel agitators threaten free speech on campus here
Gaza is the greatest test liberalism has faced since 1945 – and it is failing here
Four Palestinian female journalists detained in Israeli jails here
ICC demands end to threats against court amid Gaza war probe here
Legal experts debunk Israeli, US claims challenging ICC jurisdiction here
Why would Israel and its allies fear the ICC here
Reminder: Dates for Palestine Solidarity during the year
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)