PSNA Newsletter No 40 - March 2, 2021
2 March 2021
Newsletter No 40
Kia ora PSNA Supporter
Take just two minutes to do this! Invite your local MP to the Parliamentary screening of award-winning film “Imprisoning a Generation”
Wellington Palestine have arranged a screening of the award-winning film “Imprisoning a Generation” at parliament. The screening is on Wednesday 24th March at 5.30pm in the Beehive theatrette at Parliament Buildings and is hosted by Green MP Golriz Ghahraman. All MPs have been invited to attend and we want to get as many of them there as possible.
We are asking you to send an email to your local MP encouraging them to attend. It will take just two steps:
1. Find your local MP here with their email address if you are not sure who they are.
2. Copy and paste this note to them.
Kia ora (MP Name),
Invitation to screening of “Imprisoning a Generation”
I’m writing to you as my local member of parliament to encourage you to attend the parliamentary film screening of the award-winning film “Imprisoning a Generation” which tells the stories of Palestinian children held in detention by Israel.
You will have already received an invitation to attend and I wanted to add my encouragement for you to see this important film. The people of Palestine are appealing to the world for help – in this case they want the release of all Palestinian children imprisoned in Israel.
In case you have misplaced your invitation, the details are:
Wednesday 24th March at 5.30pm in the Beehive theaterette in Parliament Buildings
Because this is an invitation-only event please RSVP by reply email (kate.slankard-stone@wellingtonpalestine.nz) by 10 March 2021.
Hoping you can get there.
Nga mihi mahana,
(Your name)
New Zealand buying weapons from Elbit Systems Limited
A big thank you to everyone who emailed the Minister of Defence’s office from our last newsletter. The effect was immediate – we had a response from Peeni Henare just two days later after previously waiting for almost four months. It was you – our supporters – who got that ball moving.
Peeni Henare - Minister of Defense
However, the minister’s response did not answer the main points in our letter so we have to go back for a substantive response. It seems clear the minister did not read our letter but simply signed off on a response prepared by Defence Force officials who want to keep purchasing from the crooked, international lawbreaking company Elbit Systems Limited. That’s unacceptable. We will keep you posted via the newsletter on this issue.
Exposing the deep-seated racism at the heart of the New Zealand Jewish Council
New Zealand Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses and the Israel Institute spokesperson Dr David Cumin
We are including this item in the newsletter once more (it was covered in the previous newsletter) because we have had feedback to say how important it is for supporters of Palestinian human rights to push back against anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism.
At this link you can read about the deep-seated anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism within the New Zealand Jewish Council.
As we reported in our last newsletter we have asked the Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Paul Hunt, to speak out against the anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism from Dr David Cumin which, astonishingly and appallingly, was defended by the New Zealand Jewish Council. We are still waiting for a response from Mr Hunt.
PSNA National Meeting – 27/28 March in Auckland – please note the change of venue!
More details have been worked out for this first post-Covid face-to-face PSNA national meeting to be held on 27/28 March. The main details are:
Saturday 27 March and Sunday 28 March,
Grey Lynn Library Hall,
474 Great North Road, Auckland.
As we reported in the last newsletter, details of the agenda are still being worked through but it is shaping up like this:
We are delighted to say we will have a Palestinian meal provided by the Palestinian community in Auckland – this will be a special highlight for the national meeting.
Details of the agenda are still being worked through but it is shaping up like this:
Annette Sykes
Saturday Morning:
Keynote speaker Annette Sykes, pictured above. Annette is a Maori human rights lawyer at the heart of indigenous struggles here. She is an inspirational speaker who will talk about the connections between indigenous struggles here and in Palestine.
This will be followed by workshops on improving our local organising, BDS campaigning, linking the Springbok tour protests (40th anniversary this year!) to apartheid in Palestine/Israel, activism on social media etc
Saturday Afternoon:
Workshops on organising in our local networks through religious groups, unions, student groups etc
Updates on the ICC decision to investigate war crimes by Israel; the latest flotilla to Gaza; Covid 19 in Palestine and working alongside the Palestinian community of New Zealand.
Saturday Evening:
Palestinian meal (a special highlight of the meeting!), Film screening of the marvellous movie “Gaza Fights for Freedom” and a Dabka Dance group. We will also have Palestinians joining us on-line from Palestine.
Haneen Zoabi
One of these speakers will be Palestinian Israeli Haneen Zoabi who has been a determined fighter for Palestinian rights and was a former MP in the Israeli parliament – the Knesset.
Sunday Morning:
Review of our strategy, elections for national committee and a political panel of New Zealand MPs and former Australian Labour Party minister Bob Carr – on zoom from Australia
We encourage as many people to come as possible to what will be a marvellous get together. We realise there is a possibility the event made need to be rescheduled because of possible Covid restrictions. However we are being positive and confident. Remember if the worst happens you won’t lose any money from booked tickets that have to be cancelled – the flight credit will be able to be used for at least 12 months.
Registration:
Please register as early as you can with our National Secretary Neil Scott at Secretary@PSNA.nz so we know numbers for catering purposes and if you are from out of Auckland please let Neil know if you require a billet so these can be arranged as early as possible.
Remember we are happy to help with travel expenses for petrol and flights as is necessary. Please don’t let the cost be a barrier to coming! Book your travel now to keep the cost down.
An interesting meeting on zoom coming up in early March
It will be on the zoom link below from 9.30pm (NZ time) on Thursday 4 March.
Resources on the internet
Gill Baillie has sent us this link to a series of excellent resources she has helped produce from her experiences in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to give school students a better understanding of life in occupied Palestine. If you have contact with any social studies or history teachers please pass on the link to them.
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
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
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)
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 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)