PSNA Newsletter No 76 - August 2 2022
2 Heriturikōkā 2022
2 August 2022
Newsletter No 76
Kia ora koutou,
Online rally in solidarity with Masafer Yatta
See video of Israeli ethnic cleansing at Masafer Yatta and its impacts here
Join the online rally this Saturday 6th August, 7pm (NZ time) at the zoom link here.
Speakers include Sami Hurraini, co-founder of Youth of Sumud (“steadfastness”) and Manal Shqair, International advocacy officer-Stop the Wall Campaign in Colonized Palestine.
We will also have messages of solidarity from a wide range of groups from Aotearoa New Zealand.
Background:
This is our third newsletter to feature the struggle of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta against Israeli plans to ethnically cleanse the area. 20 Bedouin villages and over 1200 people are under threat as Israel continues its colonization of Palestine.
The Israeli authorities have issued orders to demolish almost all homes on the grounds that they were built without permits – which are almost impossible to obtain.
Amnesty International is calling for the Israeli authorities to immediately halt their plans to forcibly evict Palestinians in Masafer Yatta. Heba Morayef, our Middle East and North Africa Director, says:
“going ahead with this large-scale expulsion would amount to an act of forcible transfer, which is a war crime and crime against humanity.”
“Instead of demolishing homes, the Israeli authorities should dismantle discriminatory planning and building policies that have put Bedouin citizens in the absurd situation of being labelled trespassers on their own lands.”
Further videos which background Israel’s racist ethnic cleansing at Masafer Yatta are here and here
Three additional things you can do now to help defend Masafer Yatta
1) Attend your local rally this weekend to defend Masafer Yatta.
Auckland: Saturday 6 August, 2pm, Aotea Square. Facebook event here
New Plymouth: Saturday 6 August, 12 noon, Puke Ariki landing. Facebook event here
Napier: Saturday 30 July, 11am at intersection Tennyson Street and Marine Parade, Napier. Facebook event here
Nelson: Saturday 6 August at the Nelson Market, 10am to 12 noon. Facebook event here
Christchurch: Saturday 6 August, 12 noon, Bridge of Remembrance, Cashel Street. Facebook event here.
2) Send a brief message of support to the people of Masafer Yatta. These messages will be translated into Arabic and forwarded to the people under threat of ethnic cleansing. Email your message of support to manal@stopthewall.org
3) Send a note to your local Member of Parliament inviting them on the zoom call and asking them to send a message of support to the people of Masafer Yatta.
Write your own message or you could send this message:
Subject - "Ethnic Cleansing in Masfer Yatta - occupied Palestine"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
<MP name>
Use this template Firstname.lastname@parliament.govt.nz or go here to find your MP’s email address.
Kia ora <MP name>
Israel has begun ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Masafer Yatta in occupied Palestine. This is the largest ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in over 50 years. It is a grave violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.
Aotearoa New Zealand has a responsibility to take action NOW in support of these people who are living under the longest military occupation in modern human history.
As my political representative I am asking you to
Send a message of support to the people of Masafer Yatta at this email address manal@stopthewall.org
Join the online rally in support of Masafer Yatta on Saturday 6th August at 7pm. The zoom link is here https://zoom.us/j/8176053789
Request the Minister of Foreign Affairs speak out now and demand Israel stop this theft of Palestinian land.
Please respond as soon as possible.
<your name>
No Tech for Apartheid
Watch the brilliant video here when activists disrupt Amazon meeting protesting Amazon’s empowering Israeli apartheid here
No tech for Apartheid is an international campaign targeting the support big tech companies such as Amazon and Google give to Israel to help it run its apartheid oppression against Palestinians. The campaign is focused in North America. More information is here and you can tweet the campaign information here
Together Against Apartheid
Independent Jewish Voices Canada has developed this international campaign to call out Israel’s apartheid system against Palestinians, back up by the racist state’s inhuman brutality.
You can send this to family and friends.
More information is here, a YouTube video is here and the pledge is here
Remember PSNA National Meeting – 8/9 October in Christchurch
Our national meeting will be on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th October in Christchurch at WEA – 59 Gloucester Street, Central Christchurch. The meeting itself will go from Saturday morning till Sunday lunchtime.
We are keen to have a great turnout from around the whole country, please make sure cost is not a barrier to any region or centre being represented – we are happy to pay airfares etc to make sure this can happen. All we ask is that people book as early as possible to keep the airfare cost down. Just book your fares and send the receipt to Neil and we will get it paid pronto.
We will be able to provide billets for people coming in from outside Christchurch for both the Friday and Saturday nights. Bronwen will co-ordinate these requests so just email her at bronwensummers@gmail.com
If you don’t need a billet please email Bronwen anyway to let her know you are coming. This will make the organisation of lunch easier.
Looking forward to seeing you all in springtime in the Garden City!
Our Vision for Liberation
This is an outstanding book which documents what liberation looks like from Palestinian viewpoints.
A book review by Christchurch-based Lois Griffiths is here
It is presented by outstanding Palestinian author and activist Ramzy Baroud (who toured Aotearoa New Zealand several years back) and renowned Israeli historian Ilan Pappe. It is a not-to-be-missed publication!
We have purchased 50 copies for PSNA supporters and we are selling these at $35 per copy to cover our costs. To get your copy simply deposit $35 in our bank account here:
Account name: PALESTINE SOLIDARITY NETWORK
Account number: 38-9015-0849542-00
And then email secretary@PSNA.nz with your address and we will get your copy in the mail! Looking forward to hearing from you!
Important stories from the Web
New Zealand Catholic Bishop’s statement on Palestinian suffering here
Professor Laleh Khalili is gratuitously wrong about Iran’s support here
Human Rights group says lobbyists misrepresented relationship between NSO Group and Israel here
UN experts launch new guidance for businesses working in conflict-affected regions here
Environmental normalization in Palestine – podcast here
Podcast: Environmental normalisation in Palestine here
Israeli military drills in Masafer Yatta turn Palestinian villages into a shooting range here
Understanding Israel’s apartheid – Amnesty International video here
Google-Israel artificial intelligence project Nimbus here
Biden’s Middle East Tour: Israel, energy and Israel here
Settlements Palestinians Territories and Jerusalem here
Repeat shooting at unarmed civilians destroys US claim that Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing was unintentional here
Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in massive Nablus raid here
Israeli Supreme Court rules citizens can be stripped of status for breach of loyalty here
Biden signs Palestinian death certificate here
UN failing to protect Palestinian children here
Palestinian Americans demand US government provide equal protection from Israeli violations here
Using indigeneity in the struggle for Palestinian liberation here
No Fair Play in apartheid Israel – Take action on football clubs here
Church leaders decry Biden’s visit as a missed opportunity here
In April, our partners protested outside AXA's AGM and held a short play imagining AXA announces their divestment from Israeli apartheid! Watch the video here.
Biden’s Middle East visit an orgy of cynicism, hypocrisy and erasures here (Richard Falk piece)
Biden signed on to Netanyahu’s vision of crushing Palestinian hopes here
Israeli settlers launch mass outpost construction operation here
To Palestine with Love – remembering Gareth Mogan’s trip to Palestine here
Biden-Lapid joint declaration takes aim at BDS here
Palestinian universities are once again under attack here
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 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
8/9 October PSNA National Meeting in Christchurch
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)