PSNA Newsletter No 34 - November 3, 2020
3 November 2020
Newsletter No 34
Kia ora PSNA Supporter
New Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Defence
What can you do to help Palestinians right now?
Send an email to Nanaia congratulating her on her appointment. You can copy and paste the email below OR adapt it to suit yourself OR write your own message.
Nanaia Mahuta
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Parliament Buildings
Wellington
n.mahuta@ministers.govt.nz
Kia ora Nanaia,
A fresh start on policy for Palestinian human rights
Congratulations on your appointment as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.
I hope through your appointment the new government will look at the struggle of the indigenous people of Palestine with a fresh pair of eyes.
The entire area of historic Palestine is under the longest military occupation in modern history as Israel repeatedly and blatantly defies international law and continues the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the theft of Palestinian land.
The shear “brutality with impunity” of the Israeli occupation and siege of Gaza demands action.
In the first 100 days of the new government I want you to place New Zealand proudly on the right side of history and finally join us to the majority of humanity and recognise the State of Palestine (138 countries out of 193 at the United Nations already recognise Palestine)
We also want you to make our relationship with Israel conditional on Israeli compliance with international law and United Nations resolutions. In particular Israel must:
a. End the brutal military occupation of Palestinian territories
b. Repeal racist laws which discriminate against Palestinian Israelis
c. Allow the right of return for Palestinian refugees
d. End the inhuman siege of Gaza
Until Israel abides by international law New Zealand should start by suspending its bilateral relationships with Israel, banning importation of products from illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and withdrawing Superfund and ACC investments from the 112 companies cited by the United Nations Human Rights Council as being in breach of international law.
I appreciate you have not yet “got your feet under the table” yet but the issue of Palestine is pressing and I’m keen to hear from you as soon as possible.
Nā,
(your name)
Artwork from the frontline of the struggle
PSNA has been sent copies of marvellous artwork from Palestinian artist Samar Ghattas. Samar says she is delighted we will be reproducing her work in New Zealand and we are privileged to include here two of her works in response to the siege of Gaza.
The first references the huge number of Palestinians who have lost limbs from Israeli sniper fire on unarmed Palestinian protestors. The second references the siege itself.
Meeting the Greens!
A rose between three old thorns perhaps...
PSNA representatives John Minto and Don Carson with Roger Fowler from Kia Ora Gaza met with Green Party leader James Shaw and Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman last week at the Green Party offices in Wellington. We will say more about this meeting in a future newsletter.
Go Auckland!
Message from PSNA National Secretary Neil Scott who was at this fabulous Auckland protest last weekend.
“We had a good day in Auckland flying Banners and Flags on Tamaki Drive over Parnell Baths bridge for the Auckland Marathon. Three hours we were there. In this case, runners run out to St Heliers, turn around and run back to the city. Which means we got to show the banners and flags Both Ways. We got lots of “Thumbs up’s”, Waves and “Great Work Folks”.
It was especially impressive when the wind was blowing and there were 8 Palestinian flags and a Tino Rangatiratanga flag streaming in the wind”
Pedestrian overbridge on Tamaki Drive, auckland
What the US elections mean for Palestine
An excellent guide to the US elections and what they mean for Palestine is here
Detaining and brutalising Palestinian Children
Several centres are now getting ready to show the film “Imprisoning a Generation”. The poster below refers to details of the Christchurch screening and the details for the Dunedin screening of the film are:
7pm, Wednesday 25 November,
Archway 2 Lecture Theatre, University of Otago
(More information from Brandon Johnstone brandon.johnstone@gmail.com Ph 0274628339)
To give added support to Palestinian children you can sign and help circulate the Action Station petition here and Wellington Palestine have produced a factsheet based on the UK flyer here.
Book Review – “Apeirogon” - a novel, by Colum McCann
Reviewed by Barbara Menzies
The daunting title of this extraordinary 2020 novel is a mathematical term for an object of an observably infinite number of sides. McCann nearly lost me at the point of attempting to pronounce the word, but the Legendary Carol Beu of the Women's Bookshop pressed it upon me with the statement that it is the best book she has ever read.
Because I had read and loved McCann's previous works, Transatlantic (2013) and Let the Great World Spin (2009), I took her word for it.
The novel (which McCann describes as 'a hybrid') draws on extended interviews with Bassam Aramin (a Palestinian whose 10 year old daughter Abir was shot in the head by an Israeli border policeman) and Rami Elhanan (an Israeli whose daughter Smadar was killed at age 13 by a suicide bomber ten years earlier). Both men met at The Parents' Circle, a group of bereaved Palestinians and Israelis who work together for a peaceful future.
They trusted the author to draw on their stories - an Imprisoned Palestinian watching a documentary about the Holocaust, and an Israeli opposing the occupation - to create a novel true to their separate and shared experiences.
The result is an extraordinary and spellbinding novel, in which (as the author explains), 'Bassam and Rami have allowed me to shape and reshape their words and worlds'.
The shape of the novel reflects the title - it is presented as 1001 'chapters', some as short as a single sentence - and has the effect of defying expectations throughout, depicting diverse elements of the natural world, the contrasting experiences of the worlds and lives of both men and the unexpected moments of hope and inspiration centred on and growing from their friendship.
Interviews with each of the protagonists form the centre of the novel.
This was a life-changing read - powerful, courageous, and overflowing with the humanity, commitment and strength of its central characters - and with the constant presence of both girls, whose lost lives provide profound impetus for change.'
Important on-line stories
The pseudo-judicial execution of Maher Al Akhras here.
Jeremy Corbyn
2021 Palestine calendar
Boycott AXA – Insuring Israeli apartheid here
Merchandise for sale
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 PSNA Wellington (Email)
Nelson Te Tau Ihu (Nelson) Palestine (Facebook)
Christchurch PSNA Christchurch (Facebook)
Dunedin Dunedin for Justice in Palestine (Facebook)
Invercargill PSNA Invercargill (Email)