PSNA Newsletter No 29 - August 18 2020
18 August 2020
Newsletter No 29
Kia ora PSNA Supporter
We begin this newsletter with a congratulation to Aucklanders who got out to support the international solidarity action call from Samidoun.
More than 20 PSNA supporters met on Ponsonby Road for 90 minutes with Banners and Flags before sending a delegation to New Zealand Army Headquarters to send a message to the Prime Minister.
Here is how it was reported by Samidoun:
On 8 August, activists from Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa – Auckland/Tamaki Makaurau organized an action for the Days of Resistance to demand an end to New Zealand’s complicity with Israeli war crimes, calling for New Zealand officials to put an end to military coordination with the Israeli occupation.
They received many honks of support from passing cars before marching to New Zealand army headquarters (on Great North Road, Grey Lynn) to demand that NZ stop purchasing weapons from Israel.
Bombings in Gaza – speak up New Zealand!
Once again Israel has been bombing Gaza – below is the letter we sent to the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister. If you can back this up with your own messages to this pair then that would be helpful and important.
18 August 2020
Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister
j.ardern@ministers.govt.nz
Winston Peters
Minister of Foreign Affairs
w.peters@ministers.govt.nz
Kia ora Ms Ardern kōruā ko Mr Peters,
Call for New Zealand government to speak up and
1. Condemn Israeli bombing of Gaza and
2. Call for lifting of the Israeli blockade on the besieged Palestinian enclave
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is calling on the government to speak up on behalf of the besieged people of Gaza who are once more under bombardment from Israeli bombs during the global Covid 19 pandemic.
Israel claims its attacks are in retaliation for incendiary balloons sent from Gaza which have caused fires in Israel. This is a micro issue. It is subterfuge. The cause of the conflict is the Israeli blockade of Gaza which has been intensified in recent days.
We have previously requested the government speak out calling for the end of the Gaza blockade because of the global pandemic but the government has been silent.
Previously the government has condemned Palestinian resistance but has simply called for “restraint” on the part of Israel. This is a racist, one-sided policy of support for the aggressors and another kick in the teeth for the Palestinian victims.
This must change.
Gaza schools opened last Sunday after five months of suspension due to Covid-19 only to be hit the same night by an Israeli missile. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency tweeted that Beach Co-Educational School ‘D’ “was affected” by an Israeli air strike which has been found to be an unexploded Israeli bomb which targeted the school.
Israeli brutality knows no bounds when it comes to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
They are relying on complicity by silence from countries such as New Zealand to continue their abuses of Palestinian human rights.
It’s time for change. We are calling on you to act immediately to uphold international law and minimum human rights standards and demand:
1. An immediate end to Israeli military attacks on Gaza, and
2. The immediate and total lifting of the illegal siege of Gaza
NZ must then follow these up with concrete action which suspends all bilateral agreements between Israeli entities and New Zealand until Israel complies with both international law and all United Nations resolutions.
We look forward to your quick response in this urgent situation.
Nā,
John Minto
National Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
0220850161
johnminto@orcon.net.nz
United Arab Emirates, Trump and Netanyahu do a grubby little deal
Three of the nastiest racists in the world today – Bin Zayed, Trump and Netanyahu – have done a deal under which Israel agrees not to annex more Palestinian land “at the moment” in exchange for the United Arab Emirates “normalising” relations with Israel.
A good analysis of this nasty little deal is here: Don’t be hoodwinked by Trump’s UAE-Israel ‘peace deal’
Aboriginal rights – Palestinian rights: A webinar not to be missed
The Australian BDS group has organised this exciting and important webinar. Indigenous Aboriginal voices from Australia join with Palestinian voices to call for action to fight decolonisation and dispossession in Australia and Palestine.
Register for this webinar here: https://bdsaustralia.net.au/black-palestinian-forum/
A petition which deserves our attention – Drones over Gaza
Have a look at this short video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJR0rJNzmvE
And then sign the petition here: http://chng.it/cMK6WqVf5C
Released: Mahmoud Nawajaa
In our last newsletter we highlighted the case of the General Coordinator of the Palestinian National BDS Committee in Kafr Abu Qash [in the occupied West Bank], Mahmoud Nawajaa, who was arrested after dozens of Israeli soldiers broke into his home, handcuffed and blindfolded him, and marched him out, in front of his wife and children. Under intense international pressure he has now been released.
The lesson here is that international vigilance is one of the best weapons at protecting high profile Palestinian leaders.
Election pledges for all parliamentary candidates
With the election now put back till October 17th our election pledges for parliamentary candidates will now also be delayed until nominations for the new election date change on 18 September.
Keep watching this space!
“Telling Lies About Palestine”
John Minto
This is the topic PSNA National Chair John Minto will address as he gives the 2020 David Wakim Memorial Lecture later this year.
The event will be held:
7:00 pm
Thursday 8 October
St Columba Centre - 40 Vermont Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011, New Zealand.
Everyone welcome (Covid 19 levels permitting!)
Put it in your diary now! (https://www.facebook.com/events/4025999910750679/)
Boycott Hewlett-Packard! Don’t buy HP!
PSNA will be joining the international campaign against Hewlett-Packard in a more strategic way in the future but in the meantime BDS Australia has taken on this campaign and have some excellent material we should read to get up to speed with it. Here are two important links to look at in the meantime:
The online HP campaign page is here: https://bdsaustralia.net.au/campaigns/dont-buy-hp-products/
And the online petition is here: https://bdsaustralia.good.do/boycotthp/individualpledge/
Dances with Death - Tuma Hazou
“In this book I recount my many 'brushes with death' reporting on hostilities in the turbulent Middle East. The on-going conflicts and upheavals in the region have their roots in the infamous 1917 British Balfour Declaration committing Britain to set up in Palestine a national state for the Jews, ignoring the Muslim and Christian majority population.
The book ends with an overview of the prevailing dire consequences of the 1967 June War.
Addendums to the book add further substance to the personal traumatic narrative and related historical facts”
Books can be ordered directly from the author at gandthazou@gmail.com
Still Lives – Marilyn Garson
Canadian-Kiwi Marilyn writes of her experiences working in GAZA under the Israeli blockade from 2011 to 2015. This is a book which brings to life the horrific brutality of the 2014 Israeli invasion of Gaza which left over 300 killed – including over 500 children. Marilyn documented her experiences as she worked through this horror. It is a MUST READ.
You can purchase this from your local bookshop or order your eBook here or order a physical copy at www.marilyngarson.com
New Merchandise
T shirt Free Palestine End Israeli Occupation medium size only $22
Kaffiyeh 110 x 110 $44 + postage
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 Networt
Account number: 38-9015-0849542-00
Or Pay Pal account: admin@palestinesolidaritynz.net
We are happy to provide a receipt upon request (however, we are not a registered charity so this is not tax-deductible)
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)
Regional Branches and Affiliates
Regional
Bay of Islands PSNA Bay of Islands (Email)
Whangarei PSNA Whangarei (Facebook)
Auckland PSNA 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 PSNA Palmerston North (Email)
New Plymouth PSNA New Plymouth (Email)
Wellington Wellington Palestine (Website)
Nelson Te Tau Ihu (Nelson) Palestine (Facebook)
Christchurch PSNA Christchurch (Facebook)
Dunedin Dunedin for Justice in Palestine (Facebook)
Invercargill PSNA Invercargill (Email)