PSNA Newsletter No 144 - July 10 2024
10 Hōngongoi 2024
10 July 2024
Newsletter No 144
Kia ora koutou,
Luxon takes the cake for racist hypocrisy!
Luxon has rightly called out and condemned the attack on a children’s hospital in Ukraine which has killed at least 41 people.
Meanwhile over 38,000 Palestinians – mostly women and children – have been slaughtered by Israel in Gaza and still not a word of condemnation of Israel from the New Zealand government.
Breathtaking hypocrisy!
Israel’s systematic destruction of all Gaza healthcare facilities, its campaign of collective punishment and use of starvation as a weapon of war have been exhaustively documented by the European Union, the United Nations and international human rights groups.
More bombs have been dropped on the densely populated strip in the past nine months than the combined total of all the bombs dropped on London, Dresden and Hamburg during the full six years of the second world war.
Luxon is happy to call Gaza a catastrophe but refuses to condemn the industrial-scale killing of Palestinians and pin the blame where it belongs – with Israel’s 76-year project to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Palestine and steal their land.
Racism and cowardice are rampant in Luxon’s foreign policy.
Rallies, marches, vigils and protests around the motu this weekend
Ōtautahi/Christchurch poster for this week
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
North Island
Opononi – Gathering for Palestine
Sunday 14 July
1:30 pm
Outside the Four Square, Opononi
Kerikeri
Every first Saturday of the month
Not this Saturday
Whangarei – Rally
Saturday 13 July
10:00 am
Whangārei Town Basin in front of Hundertwasser Building
Auckland Picket – British Consulate
Friday 12 July
12:00 noon
151 Queen Street, Auckland CBD
Waiheke Island Market – Auckland
Every Saturday
8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Ostend Market, Waiheke Island
Auckland –Banners around Tamaki Makaurau
Saturday 13 July
10:00 – 1:00 pm
Cnr Stoddard and May Roads, Mt Roskill
Text Steve for details (dependent on wind speeds)
Auckland – Rally
Sunday 14 July
2:00 pm
Te Komititanga – Britomart Square
Tauranga – Rally
Sunday 14 July
11:00 am -12: 00 noon
In front of Woolworths - SH 2 - Bethlehem Rd
Hamilton – Rally
Saturday 13 July
1:00 pm
Civic Square, Hamilton
Cambridge Rally
Saturday 13 July
11:00 am
Cambridge Town Hall
Rotorua - Rally
Thursday 11 July
4:00 pm
Rotorua Lakes Council, Haupapa Street (Sir Howard Morrison Corner)
Napier - Rally
Saturday 13 July
11:30 am
Marine Parade Soundshell Roundabout
Hastings - Rally
Sunday 14 July
2:00 pm
Hastings Town Clock – Hastings CBD
Palmerston North - Rally
Sunday 14 July
2:00 pm
The Square, Palmerston North
New Plymouth – Flags on the Bridge
Friday 12 July
4:30 pm
Paynters Ave Bridge
Check the local Facebook page to see if this is on this week.
New Plymouth – Rally
Saturday 13 July
1:00 pm
The Landing, 1 Ariki Street, New Plymouth
Whanganui - Rally
Saturday 13 July
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 – Flags (by the Falastin Tea Collective)
Every Friday
7:15 – 8:15 am
Hill Street bridge Overbridge, Wellington
Wellington – Rally (by the Falastin Tea Collective)
Saturday 13 July
1:00 pm
The corner of Victoria Street and Vivian street Please see Instagram account @falastin_tea_collective for updates.
South Island
Nelson – Rally
Saturday 13 July
10:30 am
1903 Square, Upper Trafalgar Street, Nelson
Blenheim
Saturday 13 July
11:00 am
Blenheim Railway Station
Christchurch – Rally
Saturday 13 July
1:00 pm
Bridge of Remembrance, Cashel Street, Christchurch
Timaru – Market Stall
Not this week
Dunedin - Rally
Saturday 13 July
1:00 pm
Otago Museum Reserve to the Octagon, Dunedin
Queenstown
No Rally this weekend
Invercargill - Rally
Sunday 14 July
1:00 pm
Wachner place Invercargill
Date change to 10 August for nationwide rallies and protests
August 10 was agreed at our last national meeting as the date for a big push to get a mass turnout in support of Palestine across the country. We will have more details in future newsletters but mark this day in your diary as a MUST ATTEND for your local Palestine solidarity activity.
What Israel says about the Olympics – sportswashing to help normalise genocide!
“Every time we succeed in hearing the Israeli anthem play in the background while our flag flies overhead is in my eyes worth everything,” says Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar.
The full story is here
(This same Israeli minister also proclaims the “supremacy of the Jewish Race”)
The flag of the apartheid state of Israel must not fly at the Olympics.
Two things you can do now with just a few clicks…
1. Endorse our “Letter of Demand” to hold the government and key government ministers, to account for failing to uphold New Zealand’s legal responsibilities under the Genocide Convention. You can do this here.
2. Share these memes on social media
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Obela in August
Get ready to take some serious action in August to stop New Zealand supermarkets stocking Obela Hummus.
We are preparing a comprehensive campaign to get rid of this product from our supermarket shelves throughout the country in August!
We have written to both supermarket chains (Woolworths and Foodstuffs) but have received no response. It’s time for consumer action!
Obela is 50% owned by Israel’s largest food company, Strauss Group, which is known for its support of the Israeli military, namely the elite Golani and Givati infantry brigades, whom they fund and provide care packages for.
Awful story of anti-Palestinian racism at Remuera library
Read the story here
If anyone were asked to remove a kippa (Jewish cap) to be served anywhere that would be anti-semitism. When it happens to someone wearing a keffiyeh it is anti-Palestinian racism.
If this story prompts you to buy a keffiyeh they can be purchased at Preserved Identity
Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick, Labour’s Duncan Webb and Te Pāti Māori’s Rawiri Waititi wearing keffiyehs in parliament.
Book launch – The Sunbird
‘The world cries out for the obliterated rights of Gaza’s children and [this] story honours their too often cancelled right to continued breath.’ – Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler’s List
The launch is at 6pm on Friday 12 July at The Women’s Bookshop, 105 Ponsonby Road, Auckland. 6pm. Everyone welcome.
A note from the Author
“It is my hope that, when we are allowed to speak more freely, The Sunbird will be read in schools. While we have seen unprecedented public support for Palestine over the last few months, too many people remain detached. But people are also hungry for justice and they are hungry for information about Palestine. The Sunbird is a distillation of aspects of the Palestinian experience derived from Palestinian oral and written histories about Al Nakba, combined with some of my own family’s experience as Arab migrants to Australia. With the story of Nabila, and the Addendum that follows it, I hope to raise awareness among people who may not otherwise engage with the issue of Palestine. There is a significant body of research that supports the view that fiction enables empathy. Its unique power lies in its ability to transport the reader to other places, to experience other people’s lives. When people read fiction they can see what others see and feel what others feel. In fiction you are not an interested bystander. You are in the moment, sharing a human experience. The Sunbird is the most important part of my activism. Arundhati Roy, great advocate for Palestine, said, ‘Use your art to fight.’
Ms Roy, I am using my art to fight!
Looking out for government MPs
“Pitiful in the face of genocide” – yes that’s our government. It still hasn’t even reached first base in responding to the industrial scale slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. First base would be to condemn Israel and call for an immediate permanent ceasefire.
We need to challenge government MPs in National, New Zealand First and Act.
If you come across information with details of where any of these MPs will be for speaking or have meeting engagements, then please contact us urgently so we can organise to protest and challenge them.
Email apartheid-Israel@PSNA.nz or text 027 4 APARTHEID or 027427278.
Important stories this week
Editor’s Pick’s
Israel approves three settlement outposts and thousands more homes in occupied West Bank here
The Israeli army use of Palestinians as human shields has been documented on a large scale here
How Israeli drone strikes are killing journalists in Gaza here
US magazine – Hamas is winning here
Norway pension fund cuts ties with Caterpillar over Gaza war here
Battles rage on in North Gaza as Palestinian fighters ambush Israeli troops here
Why the Israeli army is expanding its invasion of Gaza City here
The philosophy ofof Hamas in the writings of Yaha Sinwar here
Why there is no uprising in the occupied West Bank – yet here
Other Stories
The liberal Zionism and the woke façade of Israeli genocide here
A child in Gaza here
In memory of Nahida Gordon’s passing. Hear her life's story from her here (video)
Podcast Rethinking Palestine: Palestinian Genocide Survivors in Egypt on Apple Podcasts here
The naked face of imperialism here
Israel threatens use of nuclear weapons here
Will Senator Payman influence Australian government decision makers here
Labor (Australia) can not afford to ignore the recognition of Palestine here
Understanding Hamas here
Speaking truth to power here
For Labor, Payman breaching caucus rules is worse than Israel committing genocide here
The ethnic cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe
A reader tells us this book can be obtained on electronic copy at no cost here Printed copies are available from The Nile, $26.10 + shipping from here.
There is also a 15-page article from Ilan Pappe based on the book and that is available here
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/
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
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
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)