13 Haratua 2026
13 May 2026

Newsletter No 240

Items in this newsletter

New Items

Nationwide rallies/marches/vigils this week
PSNA’s Nakba petition launched
The “Free Palestine” Party needs 500 members and encourages everyone to join up!
A few things you can do with a single click each…
Is this the building set to house the Israeli Embassy?
Protest Israeli surfer Anat Lelior at Whaingaroa/Raglan
Film Screening organised by Palestine Awareness Waikato
Abducted NZ Gaza Flotilla campaigner Sean Jannsen speaks in Auckland
Greens demand government action on Sumud Flotilla
Global Sumud Flotilla – keep up with the latest events here
Webinar – Mobilising against Israel’s death penalty law
Tareq Baconi at Auckland Writers Festival but Gaza is avoided
A few pics from around the country this week
Abolition of BSA negative for reporting on Palestine
“Israel on the brink” – new book from Ilan Pappe
When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine – Francesca Albanese
West Bank Access Restrictions - New Map and Fact
“Put your soul on your hand and walk” – film screenings
Who won the raffle?
Important stories this week

Regular items

Join the ICC Six watch
MPs Complicit with Genocide
Keep spreading the message about the Genocide Hotline!

Nationwide rallies/marches/MP protests/vigils this week

To view events around Aotearoa:

We have an events page on our website as well as a Facebook events page

PSNA Website events page:

You can find it here – www.PSNA.nz/Events

The QR code for the PSNA website events page is this:

It is updated on Wednesday afternoon and ongoing as events are notified to us. Please check back on Friday afternoon to see if there has been Additions or Changes.

Or go to the PSNA Homepage – www.PSNA.nz. Scroll down to the button “For a list of events Nationwide, please click here - Check back often for updates”. Click the button. Check back on Friday for any moves, adds or changes

PSNA Facebook events page

Go to the PSNA Facebook events page here

There are more than 30 events around the Motu this week.

PSNA’s Nakba petition launched

Click here now to sign the petition.

This important petition focuses on the Nakba – the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homes and land in Palestine from 1947 to 1949. (It is a process which continues today across the Occupied Palestinian Territories where racist Israeli settlers, with the backing of the Israeli army, conduct pogroms against Palestinian towns and villages and rural communities)

Our petition demands the right of return for Palestinian refugees and calls for total sanctions against the genocidal, apartheid state of Israel by the Aotearoa New Zealand government.

Please sign the petition and share the link on social media.

Petition of Neil Scott on behalf of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa: Sever all relations with the state of Israel here

The “Free Palestine” Party needs 500 members and encourages everyone to join up!

From the organisers:

Our purpose in creating a party is not to seek power, but to raise awareness.

If we can reach 500 members quickly we will qualify for government funding to be used in campaign advertising. Every cent will go towards supporting the cause of Palestinian liberation.

“Palestine Free from the River to the Sea” was named to challenge political censorship and creeping fascism. Every ballot paper in the country will feature our name.

You can join our party for any amount of $2 or more at https://palfree.nz/.

You can join even if you belong to another party. We don’t ask for your loyalty to us. We don’t even ask that you vote for us. We ask that your loyalty go to Palestinians. We ask that you vote in accordance with your own conscience.

Our existence as a party will give us access to debates and events where we can give voice to the cause. We need good people for this. If you think you can be a voice for Palestine, please let us know.

This is a small country and we can make a big difference here. We are the weak link in the 5 eyes and it is time to break that chain!

[Read the press release for our launch here: https://community.scoop.co.nz/2026/05/palestine-free-new-party-to-contest-nz-general-election/]"

Four things you can do with a single click each…

1) Sign the PSNA Nakba petition here

2) Sign up to join the “Free Palestine Party” here

3) Click here to send this letter to Prime Property (see story later in newsletter)

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Eyal Aharoni
Pilot
Prime Property Group
e@primeproperty.co.nz

Kia ora Mr Aharoni,

Israel Embassy office accommodation

We have been informed your company is offering office accommodation to the Israeli Embassy at your ACC-named office block in Molesworth Street.

You don’t seem to be aware that Palestinians have called for boycotts of Israel and it is important their leadership in their struggle for liberation is acknowledged and accepted by Prime Property.

Israel is a genocidal, apartheid state, as attested by all major human rights groups across the world, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch while in Israel itself the largest and most respected human rights group, B’Tselem, describes Israel as “A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. This is apartheid”.

The events of the past two and a half years of mass killing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, supported and encouraged by the most hideous, genocidal statements from Israel’s political and military leaders, mean the representatives of this rogue state have no place in this country.

We request you withdraw the offer and cancel any tenancy agreement which may have been negotiated.

(your name)

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Click here to send this letter to Surf New Zealand (see story later in newsletter)

Ben Kennings
Chief Executive
Surfing New Zealand
benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz

Kia ora Mr Kennings,

Re Possible Israeli participation in international surfing event at Raglan

We are deeply dissatisfied in your refusal to stop Israeli surfer Anat Lelior from eligibility to compete in the surfing event at Raglan later this week.

Palestinians have been calling for the complete boycott of Israel for more than 20 years now over Israel’s genocidal, apartheid policies against Palestinians. Why hasn’t Suring New Zealand got the message?

There’s nothing sporting about the wholesale killing of Palestinian children and nothing sporting about you hosting a representative of the rogue state of Israel – someone who is proud of the Israeli military and its brutality based on racist supremacy over Palestinians.

We expect Surfing New Zealand and the World Surf League to stand up for sporting values and join the boycott of Israel just as New Zealand joined the international sporting boycott of apartheid South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s.

(Your name)

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Is this the building set to house the Israeli Embassy?

This building at 81 Molesworth Street houses the Accident Compensation Corporation and Te Whatu Ora.

Is the vacant 8th floor due to house the Israeli Embassy?

When the Israeli Embassy lost its lease to its Brandon Street building, these friendless supporters of genocide and apartheid shifted into the US Embassy in Thorndon. Enough said. Now they are planning to move back into an independent office block, rumoured to be the ACC building at 81 Molesworth Street.

We have written to the building owners, Prime Property, and said

The events of the past two and a half years of mass killing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, supported and encouraged by the most hideous, genocidal statements from Israel’s political and military leaders, mean the representatives of this rogue state have no place in this country.

and

Like every company in Aotearoa New Zealand, Prime Property has an overriding obligation to isolate the Israeli regime rather than accept a short-term money-making business relationship with a rogue state which will inevitably harm your reputation in our country.

See the “Four things you can do with a single click each” earlier in the newsletter.

Protest Israeli surfer Anat Lelior at Whaingaroa/Raglan

Protest March: Sunday 17 May, 11am, from the library at the bottom of Bow Street, Raglan

Manu Bay, Whaaingaroa Raglan is hosting the World Surf League competition 15-25 May. Whaaingaroa Palestine Solidarity wants to ensure that the people of Palestine are not forgotten. Come and join us if you can!

Anat Lelior is the first isreali surfer to qualify for the elite circuit. She is an unapologetic former IOF soldier and speaks proudly of her service and we anticipate that she will be surfing in Raglan.

1. We are planning flag waving at a prominent place in our town on the 4 days that the competition is on.

2. We also plan a rally and march with flags on Sunday May 17, Rally and March to start at 11am, meeting at the bottom of Bow St at the library.

3. We are showing an Aussie film " Gaza Nippers" on Wednesday 20 May at 7pm at the Old School Art Centre: an inspiring film about children in Gaza growing up under siege. The film charts the dream of starting Gaza's first surf club: the goal was to bring joy, hope and safety to children in Gaza. Begun in 2019, two young men from Gaza trained in Australia as surf lifesavers at Manly. They learnt what it takes to run a Nippers program, and took that knowledge back to Gaza to begin a culture of surf life saving education.

4. We plan to put the posters of the Palestinian wave around town and hand out smaller fliers.

Film Screening organised by Palestine Awareness Waikato

Abducted NZ Gaza Flotilla campaigner Sean Jannsen speaks in Auckland

Janssen was one of more than 170 people who were illegally abducted by Israeli military forces on board Global Sumud Flotilla boats in international waters for 48 hours and given restricted access to food and water.

He said flotilla participants were beaten and 34 people needed immediate medical attention when they were dumped ashore in Greece.

Three other abducted New Zealanders — Jay O’Connor, Mousa Taher and Julien Blondel — were taken ashore as well while at least two others are continuing on with the flotilla that has now reached Turkïye.

Read the full story here

And read the piece here from Wellington’s Eugene Doyle who has documented New Zealand involvement in the flotilla here

Greens demand government action on Sumud Flotilla

Green Co-leader Chloe Swarbrick wrote to Foreign Minister Winston Peters last week, calling on the government to support the New Zealanders on the Sumud Flotilla, expel the ambassador for his government's intransigence, and to sanction Israel.

See the Instagram link here

Labour's shadow Foreign Minister Vanushi Walters has been posting on her socials since the convoy was first boarded, and in touch with some of the family members. She says its "horrific to hear some of the accounts of just how heavy handed the IDF were…

Global Sumud Flotilla – keep up with the latest events here

See the Global Sumud Flotilla website + boat tracker

Follow the Aotearoa Delegation of the Flotilla on Instagram

Wellington journalist Eugene Doyle writes After Israel’s brutal attack on Kiwis our government does nothing.

Spain has demanded the release of two of its citizens who were on the Flotilla and who are still being held by Israel

The Israeli military establishment is already devising ways to deal with future Flotilla activists to limit damage to Israel's image.

More here

Webinar – Mobilising against Israel’s death penalty law

A dreadful time in New Zealand – 5am tomorrow morning – Thursday 14 May but an important event.

Register here

Tareq Baconi at Auckland Writers Festival but Gaza is avoided

View the interview with Tareq Baconi “Zionism will Collapse” here

Long-time Palestine solidarity activist Janfrie Wakim wrote this (unpublished) letter to the Listener.

Dear Editor,

It took until very last word in the article The Pick of The Fest’ (Listener March 21, 2026) to find the word ‘Palestinian’.

Searching the festival website for Gaza, returned no result yet it claims, ‘Stories Start Here’. Gaza is a story that has dominated media attention for over two years but for Auckland Writers Festival it's as if none exist. Sure, there’s Tareq Baconi, a welcome voice but not about Gaza. What about Randa Abel-Fattah who caused a sensation in Australia, Israeli scholar Ilan Pappe, and other writers like Pankaj Mishra, Plestia Alaqad, Gilbert Achcar all of whom (among many others) published stories in 2025.

Is the AWF priority stories that deliver audience comfort, not challenging narratives?

Janfrie Wakim

A few pics from around the country this week

**Tamaki Makaurau supporters at the Devonport wharf getting ready to march to the Devonport Naval Base**

Tamaki takes to the water

After the weekly rally at Britomart last weekend 100 people marched to the ferry and went to Devonport where they marched to the gates of the Devonport Naval Base.

Before leaving the CBD Sean Janssen spoke about his experience at the hands of the Israeli military when the IDF viciously attacked the Global Flotilla in international waters.

At the Devonport Naval Base the protest was addressed by Joe Carolan who spoke about having no NZ troops for USA / Israeli wars. He appealed to the service people and all those who could hear, saying it is working class people who suffer from war and we do not wish to see ordinary people killed in wars. Joe called out the government for their complicity in the wars.

The marchers returned to downtown Auckland in high spirits

**On the way to Devonport on the ferry**

**Palestine Support Kaikoura presented our resolution to the Kaikoura District Council last week**

**Coming up this Thursday 14 May in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington**

**Reporting on the Whāingaroa/Raglan protest in support of Palestinian prisoners**

Abolition of BSA is bad for reporting on Palestine

The Israeli ambassador (currently working out of the United States Embassy in Wellington) will be reporting delightedly back to Tel Aviv that Israel’s Hasbara campaign has been made considerably easier in this country.

TVNZ, Newstalk ZB and RNZ will be celebrating too.

The government’s Media and Communications Minister, and open Zionist, Paul Goldsmith, has announced the abolition of media watchdog, the Broadcasting Standards Authority.

The BSA was set up in 1989 under the Broadcasting Act to enforce standards on broadcasters. The standards range through rules of ‘offensive and disturbing’, ‘denigration’, and ‘privacy’.

The ‘News’ categories are ‘balance’ and ‘accuracy’.

In March, the BSA announced it believed online platforms, in particular the obsessively pro-Israel, The Platform, were a target of its jurisdiction.

Goldsmith responded quickly. The BSA must go.

It’s not as though the BSA was upholding many complaints about broadcasters neglecting a perspective on Palestinian rights. Only three referrals on Gaza reporting were successful in the past two and a half years – with no penalties imposed.

But there is no doubt that complaints kept the nation’s ‘leading’ broadcasters, 1News and RNZ, mindful of the need to avoid objections or vigorously respond to them. They have received dozens of complaints since the beginning of the genocide.

Indeed, it seemed the broadcasters spend much more effort defending their broadcasts, than they did in editing them in the first place.

As it was, there was not much need for broadcasters to be concerned, as a recent relaxation by the BSA on the need for balance (all the broadcaster needed was to point to another source which got it right, even if the broadcaster itself had got it wrong) and so the BSA has hardly needed to uphold anything under its loose rules.

Accordingly, TVNZ can continue to more seriously run stories on aliens than the genocide. It happily refuses to call the Israeli genocide in Gaza for what it is.

At the same time, it invariably reserves the word ‘regime’ to describe only one government in the entire world, and it isn’t Israel.

But to remove the BSA means no potentially effective regulatory body will be constantly looking over broadcasters’ shoulders. They will be free to take the easy road and rebroadcast, without any editing or vetting, the Zionist invested and bullied international news agencies, such as the BBC.

What little voice there is for Palestine in our mainstream media is set to evaporate unless we do something about it.

“Israel on the brink” – new book from Ilan Pappe

When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine – Francesca Albanese

Francesca Albanese’s new book reviewed here

West Bank Access Restrictions - New Map and Fact sheet

From OCHA (the UN office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs)

A new fact sheet and an updated version of our West Bank Access Restrictions Map, based on a comprehensive survey carried out by our field teams in December 2025.

The key findings include:

925 obstacles across the West Bank (the highest number on our 20-year record)
At least 459 obstacles block or hinder access to main roads
Over 120 new road gates installed in 2025 (standalone or as part of checkpoints)
The 712-km-long Barrier (64% built) remains the single largest obstacle
3.4 million Palestinians affected.

Through the interactive map, you can zoom into specific areas, display layers of your choice, and export customized, printable versions

“Put your soul on your hand and walk”

Details of screenings around the country are here

Who won the raffle?

The raffle for this sculpture by Christchurch artist Jane Whales was drawn at the PSNA national meeting in Rotorua and the winner was long-time Palestine solidarity activist Janfrie Wakim from Auckland.

Important stories this week

Editor’s picks

System of sexual torture targeting Palestinians exposed in new report here
Blame the NZ govt for ‘selective’ human rights morality, not activists here
Ramaphosa Upholds Mandela Legacy by Demanding Release of Marwan Barghouti here

Regular items

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Join the ICC Six Watch

Share the poster on social media – keep alert – email ICC6@PSNA.nz if you find where any of these six genocide deniers are due to show up.

Keep spreading the message about the Genocide Hotline!

Remember possible action for local groups

For groups affiliated to PSNA we suggest the following actions could be taken at any time in support of this campaign

Asking your local backpacker accommodation to display the poster and draw it to the attention of any Israeli soldiers here on “rest and recreation” from the genocide.
Pasting the hotline poster (use the version in this newsletter which includes a contact email) around the vicinity of backpacker venues in your local area. This is already happening in some areas.
Hand out flyers to people in the vicinity of your local backpackers
Contact us on the hotline if you come across Israeli soldiers

Merchandise for sale - please check with your local branch and/or contact us Merchandise@PSNA.nz

**Recent new material – leaflets and stickers are free the bucket hats and caps are $25**

If your local branch does not have what you are after we are ready to mail to you any of our t-shirts, long ($35) and short ($30) sleeved, hoodies ($45) bumper stickers ($3), Tino/Palestine pins ($3) flags large & medium ($10 or $7) and other items plus postage.

The watermelon and the fist stickers will be back in stock early next week.

See more on the PSNA website here.

Reminder: Annual Dates for Palestine Solidarity

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

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)

Nationwide Rally list

To view events around Aotearoa:

Go to the PSNA Homepage – www.PSNA.nz. Scroll down to the button “For a list of events Nationwide, please click here - Check back often for updates”. Click the button. Check back on Friday for any moves, adds or changes
Or events are on the PSNA Facebook events page here
Or Scroll down to the bottom of this Newsletter for the detailed list of events for this week.
We have added a page to the PSNA website where we now post the Events list. You can find it here – www.PSNA.nz/Events

The QR code for this is:

It is updated on Wednesday afternoon and ongoing as events are notified to us. Please check back on Friday afternoon to see if there has been Additions or Changes.

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 - 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