PSNA Newsletter No 79 - September 13 2022
13 Mahuru 2022
13 September 2022
Newsletter No 79
Kia ora koutou,
Today, Tuesday 13th September, the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly begins in New York.
There is a global call from Palestinians for the UN General Assembly to launch an investigation into Israel’s apartheid policies against Palestinians.
Two things you can do now, with just a few clicks, to support this important campaign:
1. Go to this link to send a message to United Nations officials
2. Copy and paste this message to our Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Hon Prime Minister
Hon Minister of Foreign Affairs
j.ardern@ministers.govt.nz
n.mahuta@ministers.govt.nz
Kia ora kōrua,
The 77th session of the United National General Assembly begins this week and we are urging the government to support and promote a UN investigation into Israel’s apartheid policies against Palestinians.
Over the past two years the leading international human rights organisations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have joined Palestinians in declaring Israel as an apartheid state.
It is no longer possible for the world to turn the other way and pretend the Palestinian reality is different. It isn’t.
Please support this critically important initiative at the UN during this session.
The United Nations played an important role in the ending of South Africa’s apartheid policies. It can likewise play an important role in ending apartheid against Palestinians.
(your name)
PSNA National Meeting
8/9 October in Christchurch
A reminder: We are encouraging supporters to come to the PSNA national meeting to be held on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th October in Christchurch at the newly refurbished WEA Building at 59 Gloucester Street, Central Christchurch. The meeting itself will go from Saturday morning till Sunday lunchtime.
Airfare costs:
We want all areas around the country to be represented and we can help with airfare costs to make sure this happens. Please get in touch asap and we will see what we can do – email secretary@PSNA.nz or phone/message Neil on 021414161.
Registrations:
To help with organising catering etc please register your intention to come with Bronwen at bronwensummers@gmail.com
Billets:
We are able to provide billets for everyone coming from outside Christchurch. If you need a billet for Friday and / or Saturday nights please also email Bronwen at bronwensummers@gmail.com
Agenda:
The details of this are still a work in progress but the latest draft is here:
National Meeting Agenda
Saturday 8 October
8.30am MORNING TEA AND REGISTRATION
9.15am Opening
Mihi: Maui Stuart
Welcome, introductions (John Minto)
Apoorva Gautam, Asia Pacific rep from the BDS National Committee (Via Zoom)
9.30am Key Speakers:
Mai Tamimi, a Community Worker of Palestinian origin living in Dunedin,
Maher Nazal from PACC (Palestinians in Aotearoa Co-ordinating Committee)
Palestine Youth Aotearoa – “the Palestinian struggle at home and abroad” followed by questions/discussion
10.30am Annual Reports
National Chair PSNA – John Minto
Financial report – Neil Scott (secretary)
11.00am Workshops 1 – Strategies for local organising (Please choose one)
Local screenings of films, and organising local actions (Kathleen Cole, New Plymouth)
BDS international campaigns – Puma (Silver Ferns sponsor), HP and Sodastream (Neil Scott)
Social media – FB, Twitter, Instagram etc (Nedina Hohaia, Fred Hayward, Brandon Johnstone) TBC
National speaking tours in 2023 (John Minto/Don Carson)
Working with the Palestinian community in Aotearoa (PACC)
11.30pm Plenary
Reports back from Workshops 1
Brief introduction of new campaigns for 2022/23 before discussion in afternoon
NZ observer to IHRA (John Minto)
Close the Embassy campaign (John Minto)
Proposed UN investigation into Israeli apartheid (John Minto)
Apartheid-free zones national campaign (John Minto)
Visiting MP’s and emailing MP’s (Neil Scott)
Banners, Palestinian flags, flyers and stickers available for regional groups (Neil Scott)
12.30pm LUNCH (provided on site – koha)
1.30pm Workshop 2 – Organising in local networks (Please choose one)
Working with Māori organisations (John Minto)
Religious groups – Christian, Islamic, Jewish etc (Steve Liddle/Barbara Menzies/Ahmed Saadeh/Billy Hania/Brian Turner) (TBC)
Trade Unions (Mike Treen, Unite Union; Paul Watson, First Union) TBC
Student organisations (Mika Gale)
2.15pm Reporting back in plenary
3.00pm AFTERNOON TEA
3.30pm Updates:
Julie Webb-Pullman – update on ICC holding Israel to account for war crimes (via Zoom)
Roger Fowler – Kia Ora Gaza – Update on Medical Aid Appeal for Gaza and flotilla update
4.00pm New campaigns for 2022/23
Close the Embassy campaign (John Minto)
Proposed UN investigation into Israeli apartheid (John Minto)
Apartheid-free zones national campaign (John Minto)
5.00pm Updates from Palestine (8am Palestine time)
Sami Hurraini Youth of Sumud on Masafer Yatta struggle against ethnic cleansing.
Six Palestinian human rights organisations declared “terrorist” by Israeli regime (TBC)
Manal Shqair from BNC National Committee and Stop the Wall Campaign
Jeff Halper from ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions)
6.30pm GROUP DINNER
21 York Street (John and Bronwen’s home)
Locals bring something to share – guests from outside – just bring yourselves!
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Sunday 9 October
9.00am Review of structures and election of Committee members
Strengths/weaknesses of our campaigning in 2021/22 (Brandon) TBC
Review of National Structure – what can be improved (Brandon) TBC
Election of National Chair and Secretary
Appointment of National Committee
10.00am Political panel – building support for Palestinian human rights amongst MPs (Don Carson)
Duncan Webb – (Christchurch Central MP and Chief government whip) Labour Party (TBC)
All members of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee are invited (Jenny Salesa (Chair), Gerry Brownlee (Vice Chair), Ingrid Leary, Ibrahim Omer, Golriz Ghahraman, Todd McClay)
11.00am Closing comments (National Chair)
Farewells
11.15am Close
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Hope to welcome many of you to the Garden City in Springtime!
No tech for Apartheid
No tech for Apartheid is an international campaign to stop the huge tech companies like Google, Amazon provided technology to Israel to help it oppress and. . .
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Something you can do now with just a few clicks…
1. Sign the letter at https://www.notechforapartheid.com/
2. Go to this link and send a tweet copying in the hashtags listed.
It’s apartheid! What now…? The fight for justice in Palestine
This webinar will feature prominent speakers including the first female Palestinian Member of the Knesset, Haneen Zoabi, Palestinian politician and prominent community activist, Dr Basel Ghattas, independent journalist and best-selling author, Antony Loewenstein, and APAN Vice-President, Nasser Mashni.
When: Wednesday, 19th October, 8pm
Where: Online
Register for the Webinar here
Webinar: Shifting growing Palestine support into US policy
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
12 midnight Aotearoa New Zealand time
Since the 2021 Unity Intifada, Palestinians have garnered increasing support across the US. As a result, pro-Israel lobbies have ramped up their efforts to criminalize Palestine advocacy and quash Palestine solidarity on Capitol Hill. What does this shifting terrain signify for the Palestine solidarity movement in the US and for US policy on Palestine? What can Palestinians in Palestine and the US do to translate this growing support into actionable policy?
Join Al-Shabaka policy analyst and board member, Zaha Hassan, and US Policy Fellow, Tariq Kenney-Shawa, for a discussion with host Nadim Bawalsa about bridging the divide between US public discourse and policy on Palestine.
Register here
Palestinian Youth Speak out
In our newsletter special last week we advertised this important online webinar which was organised by MLN (Movement for Liberation from Nakba)
It was an absorbing and important discussion with young Palestinians. If you missed it live you can still view it now online here https://youtu.be/VaRffOSB7lY.
Special message from Israeli youth refusers
Left to right: Evyatar, Einat, Nave and Shahar
Four youth refusers - Shahar Schwartz (18 year old), Einat Gerlitz (19), Evyatar Moshe Rubin (19), and Nave Shabtay Levin (18) - who declare this week their refusal to join the Israeli army and take part in the Israeli occupation over the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Shahar has refused before and was sentenced to 10 days in military prison. Einat refused Yesterday and was sentenced to 7 days in prison. Evyatar and Nave are refusing today and will likely be imprisoned. We reach out to you today because they need your help in getting their message across to Israeli officials.
We, Israeli youth, refuse to join the Israeli army and take part in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza strip. We call out to all citizens of Israel to open their eyes and see the policy of oppression over the Palestinian people carried out by the Israeli government. We object to the militaristic education forced on us by the same oppressive policies, we object to the educational system teaching us to hate our neighbors, and we object to the social norms that prohibits the educational system from sharing the true reality in the Palestinian territories with children and youth. We feel it is important to show there is another way. We all have the option to refuse to take part in the oppression and in the occupation and we can all make sure human rights, including physical and emotional security, are provided without discrimination. Therefore we demand the following from the Israeli government:
Stop the killings of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Stop the ethnic cleansing in the territories and the transfer of Masafer Yatta; Stop the siege of the Gaza strip; Stop home demolitions; Stop administrative arrests and arrests of minors; Stop supporting settler's violence towards Palestinians and start acting against it.
We demand a stop to the Israeli military presence in the Palestinian territories and we demand giving the Palestinian people the right to independence. We, Israeli youth, born and raised in Israel, call on the Israeli public to see there is a better way to treat our neighbors, a human way that guarantees human rights for all. We demand an end to the Israeli occupation over the Palestinian territories and we declare today our refusal to take any part in it.
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
Roger Waters inspired tour is cultural high point for Palestine here
No room for love in apartheid Israel here (Note: Israel has since backed down on this plan under international pressure)
On Palestinian killed and over a dozen wounded during military operation in Jenin here
That’s not accountability – Reporters slam State Department for accepting Israel’s stance on Shireen Abu Akleh here
German court rules Palestinian ex-DW journalist sacking unlawful here
Israel says ‘high possibility’ its army killed Shireen Abu Akleh here
How Israeli settlers use archaeology to displace Palestinians from their land here
Israel admits highly probable soldier killed Shireen Abu Akleh here
Remembering the Sabra/Shatila massacre forty years later here
Israel’s jailing of aid worker slammed here
Depravity of Israeli hasbara (propaganda) here
Israel’s Operation Breaking Dawn killed 49 Palestinians – these are their stories here
The utter hypocrisy of Facebook, Instagram on Russia and Ukraine here
Palestinian families living in caves after Israel destroys their homes here
New York Times and UN Security Council platform apartheid charge against Israel here
Dark money for Israel that crushes leftwing candidates is giving Jews a bad reputation here
Terrorist-preoccupied Israel issues latest licence for thuggery here
Feel free to share these links on your social media pages.
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)
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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)