PSNA Newsletter No 65 - February 22 2022
22 Hui-tanguru 2022
22 February 2022
Newsletter No 65
Kia ora Palestinian Human Rights supporters
Government hypocrisy in calling out human rights abuse
Last week the New Zealand Herald printed this opinion piece from PSNA National Chair John Minto. It is at the Herald on this link but it is paywalled so we are printing the full article here for you:
John Minto: A two-tiered system for calling out human rights abuses
15 Feb, 2022 05:00 AM 5 minutes to read
At the 1 February launch of Amnesty International’s report labelling Israel an apartheid state. Amnesty International's Saleh Hijazi, left, Philip Luther, Secretary-General Agnes Callamard, and activist Orly Noy. Photo / Maya Alleruzzo, AP
OPINION
On December 30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade published a tweet condemning the forced closure of two Russian human rights groups, International Memorial and the Memorial Human Rights Centre.
The groups were shut down by the Russian Supreme Court which was enforcing strict laws relating to dealings with "foreign agents".
In releasing the tweet, the Government urged Russia to "live up to its civil and political rights commitments".
Our Government has also been speaking out against human rights abuses in China against the Uighur people, to the extent of facilitating a parliamentary motion condemning the cruel policies of the Chinese Government.
Compare the criticism of Russia and China with MFAT's reaction to Israel's outrageous attacks on Palestinian human rights groups last October when it declared six of them to be "terrorist" organisations. The targeted groups (Bisan, Al-Haq, Addameer, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees, and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees) typically challenge human rights violations by the Palestinian Authority as well as Israel, both of which routinely detain Palestinian activists.
Israel's "terrorist" claim against these groups was a blatant attempt to undermine some of the most effective Palestinian civil society organisations, stifle their collective voices, and cut their sources of funding. But not a peep from MFAT. No tweets, no public statements, nothing.
When our Foreign Minister is asked about these things her officials say the Government is "very concerned" about developments in the Middle East and "keeping a close watch" on the situation. They say they regularly raise human rights concerns with the Israeli ambassador in meetings with officials.
Heaven only knows what goes on in those meetings but if all human rights abuses by Israel against the Palestinian people were discussed, the Israeli ambassador would be in permanent residence at MFAT.
MFAT gives similar responses when massive human rights abuses are perpetrated against the people of West Papua by the Indonesian Army, which has occupied the territory since 1962. These are discussed behind closed doors, if they are raised at all, with Indonesian officials.
So what's the difference that results in the Russian and Chinese Governments being castigated for human rights abuses but for countries like Indonesia and Israel, there is minimal, if any, public comment?
The awful truth is that our current Government has moved New Zealand closer to the US than at any time since the 1980s and MFAT calls out human rights abuses to a US agenda.
If the abuses are perpetrated by enemies of the US, such as in Russia or China, they get a full public blast but if US allies are killing unarmed people protesting the occupation of their country then it's all hushed up. It's kept "in the family", behind closed doors. Martin Luther King's comment about "the injustice of silence" applies.
Human rights abuses against Palestinians and the people of West Papua continue because countries like New Zealand have self-important ministry officials who think it's clever to operate a public/private hierarchy of human rights abuses according to US criteria.
Aotearoa New Zealand is complicit in many ongoing human rights abuses through our silence.
Cowardice is another word that comes to mind. It's not acceptable.
The hypocrisy of the US, and Aotearoa New Zealand's, position on human rights was laid bare this week when Amnesty International released a 280-page report which concluded that Israel was an apartheid state. US Government officials attacked the report outright without reading it and without challenging any of the report's substance.
At a Washington press conference, a State Department official was left to try to explain why US Human Rights Reports have quoted extensively from Amnesty International regarding Ethiopia, China, Iran, Burma, Syria and Cuba but reject outright Amnesty's report on Israel.
Needless to say, MFAT hasn't uttered a word on the Amnesty report but is busy helping support a webinar intending to "build strategic partnerships in agriculture" with Israel through AgriTech New Zealand. This is deeply embarrassing to this country and MFAT should cancel Aotearoa New Zealand's involvement in this webinar.
It goes without saying this country should stand against all abuses of human rights in a principled and forthright manner. This won't happen until the current leadership of MFAT is stood down.
• John Minto is a political activist and spokesperson for Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa.
Something you can do right now with a couple of clicks
Write to the parliamentary Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee asking the committee to open an investigation into the hypocrisy of our government’s double standards in failing to call out Israel’s human rights abuses.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To: Members of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee
Jenny Salesa (Labour Chair)
Gerry Brownlee (National Deputy Chair)
Ingrid Leary (Labour)
Golriz Ghahraman (Greens)
Todd McClay (National)
Louisa Wall (Labour)
Jenny.Salesa@parliament.govt.nz;
Gerry.Brownlee@parliament.govt.nz;
Ingrid.Leary@parliament.govt.nz;
Golriz.Ghahraman@parliament.govt.nz;
Ingrid.Leary@parliament.govt.nz;
Louisa.Wall@parliament.govt.nz;
Kia ora koutou,
Request for a Foreign Affairs Select Committee investigation
I am asking the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee to investigate the government’s hypocritical approach to human rights abuses where we call out some countries like China and Russia but for the most part ignore human rights abuses in countries such as Israel and West Papua.
These issues are outlined in an opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald here.
I would like the committee to encourage interested groups to make submissions and for the entire proceedings to be held in public – including the questioning of Foreign Affairs officials as they are held accountable for their hypocrisy.
I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Regards,
(Your name)
Government building “strategic partnerships” with Israel in agriculture
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor did not withdraw from the Agritech Summit hosted by the Israeli embassy (see previous newsletter), which seeks to help Israel profit from stolen Palestinian land, ethnic cleansing and massive human rights abuses against the Palestinian people.
The principled stance from the Green Party was welcomed. Here is their letter:
In the meantime you can help name and shame the minister and others who took part in the summit by circulating this poster via email and online.
Reminder: Dates for Palestine Solidarity in 2022
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 Naksa 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)
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
T-Shirts from Mondoweiss
Mondoweiss is an online reporter on the Palestinian struggle with good up to date articles on the Palestinian struggle. You can find them here
They have produced a really nice T-shirt which you can purchase here
Important stories from the Web
Palestinian Australian challenges government over failure to call out human rights abuses by Israel here
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
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Auckland PSNA Auckland – Tamaki Makaurau (Website)
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Napier/Hastings Aotearoa Standing with Palestine (Facebook)
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Wellington PSNA Wellington (Email)
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Invercargill PSNA Invercargill (Email)