Insipid call for a tea break before the slaughter of Palestinian civilians continues
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
25 October 2023
The government announcement today at the United Nations calling for a “humanitarian pause” in the Israeli war on Gaza are an insipid response to the slaughter of Palestinians civilians in their thousands in Gaza.
“Is it the best New Zealand can do to call for a humanitarian pause in the slaughter of civilians by Israel?” says PSNA National Chair John Minto. “Already over five thousand Palestinian civilians have been killed, more than 2,000 of them children, and the best New Zealand can do is call for a tea break before Israel continues its slaughter?
“New Zealand is bigger and better than this week-kneed response from our political leaders.”
“We must call for a comprehensive ceasefire and United Nations action to put Gazan civilians under UN protection. We must also demand a swift investigation by the International Criminal Court into war crimes since 7 October – included the crimes of genocide and apartheid”.
A “humanitarian pause” will not stop the genocide. Israel President Isaac Herzog is on record using the type of genocidal rhetoric which is dominating Israeli actions:
“It is an entire nation out there that is responsible,” Herzog said at a press conference on Friday. “It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up. They could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’etat.”
The cruel fact is that if there were 2.3 million Europeans anywhere in the world being confined and subject to indiscriminate slaughter New Zealand and the western world would be outraged. But not a peep from our leaders condemning Israeli war crimes when Palestinians are the victims. We only find our voice when Israelis are the victims.
Na,
John Minto
National Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
0220850161
johnminto@orcon.net.nz
John Minto
John Minto
National Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
New Zealand 0220850161
John Minto is also former National Organiser for HART (Halt All Racist Tours) which successfully campaigned to stop rugby contact between New Zealand and apartheid South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s.