28 Whiringa-ā-nuku 2026
28 October 2026

Newsletter No 264

Three steps for Palestinian solidarity this week

1 Share the All out for Gaza election ranking meme below on your social media pages:

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2 Go to the PSNA events page here https://www.psna.nz/events or our Facebook events page here https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064134091562&sk=events – find your local event on this weekend – post the event on social media for your family and friends and get along in support.

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3) Go to the PSNA website at https://www.psna.nz/social-media, and spend five minutes liking, sharing and following our social media accounts.

Items in this newsletter

Nationwide rallies/marches/flagwavings this week
Expulsion of Israeli ambassador to NZ demanded after Israel ejects 95-year-old Palestinian grandfather from Hebron
S’bu Zikode and Hāhona Ormsby – two tours in November
Petition to block Trump’s attacks on the International Criminal Court
Stuff jumps to attention for the New Zealand Jewish Council
Why not arrest Israeli war crimes suspects when they come to New Zealand?
Is that measles on the Noel Leemimg van?
Are you a media creator for PSNA yet?
Free Palestine Party update
International action by dockworkers targeting Israeli goods
Important stories this week

Films, books, performances, Palestinian culture

“Gaza: Anatomy of a genocide” new book by
The best reason to buy a Sally Rooney book

Regular items

“Sitting on the Fence” documentary now available for general release
Your KiwiSaver may be funding violations of Palestinian rights
Join the ICC Six watch
MPs Complicit with Genocide
Keep spreading the message about the Genocide Hotline!
Annual Palestinian Solidarity Dates
How to Donate
Palestine Solidarity Groups around Aotearoa

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 "Events" image on the banner line. 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.

Expulsion of Israeli ambassador to NZ demanded after Israel ejects 95-year-old Palestinian grandfather from Hebron

PSNA media release – 28 October 2026

**Rinad Tamimi with her 95-year-old grandfather, in Hebron last year**

PSNA is today calling on all political parties to agree to the immediate expulsion of the Israeli ambassador Alon Roth-Snir, and the suspension of all other ties with Israel.

PSNA’s call follows two damning new United Nations reports released yesterday, alongside the personal family experience of PSNA National Spokesperson Rinad Tamimi.

Tamimi says “My family is directly affected by the past two days of Israel’s massive ethnic cleansing operation in Hebron in the Occupied West Bank, where my family, including my 95-year-old grandfather, Hajj Abu Hosni , have been expelled from their homes.

The United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has condemned Israel’s actions, More than 3,000 Palestinians have been forced from their homes so far, in what Turk describes as action “punitive in nature and designed to instil fear”.

“Collective punishment is a grave violation of international law. Threats to empty and erase entire neighbourhoods also raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing,” Turk says.

Meanwhile yesterday, the United Nations Independent Commission of Palestine and Israel released its latest report which says bluntly:

“Israel has committed war crimes and the crimes against humanity of extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, intentionally targeting Palestinian civilians as it continues to commit genocide in Gaza.”

The report confirms the source of the endless violence and oppression by Israel goes back to the 1948 Nakba (Catastrophe) when more than 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and land.

“As part of a broader investigation into the root causes of recurrent tensions and protraction of conflict, the report outlines the key drivers of Israeli violence and concludes that Israel has striven to expand territorially and displace Palestinians through violence since the 1947-48 war.”

“These shocking reports confirm that Israel has no intention of respecting New Zealand values or international law,” Tamimi says.

“The argument that we need the ambassador here to keep lines of communication open is a smokescreen. There is not a scrap of evidence Israel has ever taken any notice of us. The embassy is not here to listen. It is here to propagandise, spy and infiltrate the Pacific.”

“Across the country this week the Palestine solidarity movement will be highlighting these reports and demanding accountability for Israel in nationwide protests.”

“The government must end its rhetoric about the Israelis in the West Bank and finally make an effective stand and cuts all ties with Israel, until the refugees can return and everyone living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea has as equal rights,” Tamimi says.

“It would be appropriate justice for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to follow the expulsion of my 95-year-old grandfather from his home.”

PSNA – S’bu Zikode and Hāhona Ormsby – upcoming tours

Check the PSNA website here for details or use the QR code:

Petition to block Trump’s attacks on the International Criminal Court

Hours after the Nobel Peace Prize went to a former international judge, Trump tried to destroy the court that has a warrant on Netanyahu. But Europe can derail his plan. Sign to call on EU leaders to block his sanctions and protect the ICC from Trump’s attack! SIGN NOW

Stuff jumps to attention for the New Zealand Jewish Council

Stuff published this story last week: https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361049194/targeting-holidaying-soliders-nz-risks-inciting-violence-jewish-council-says

The claims made by Moses were without foundation. They were simply an attempt to smear the Palestine solidarity movement while protecting and defending Israel. It was nothing which she had not stated, and reported on, many times before. However, when the story was written the headline was given to Moses, as though there was something worthwhile in her claims.

Meanwhile Stuff routinely ignores media releases issued by PSNA on a wide range of issues related to New Zealand’s response to the genocide in Gaza.

Two examples of this pattern: When we issued a statement revealing a number of New Zealand war graves in Gaza had been destroyed by the IDF, we had no pickup from Stuff. The same story, about Australian war graves in the same cemetery, was covered extensively in Australia.

Likewise, when we produced evidence of 50 New Zealanders serving in the IDF, Stuff declined to report it. Again, there was considerable mainstream reporting in the UK about the British citizens also serving in the IDF.

But, as soon as the Jewish Council issues a release, Stuff swings into action and gives their baseless claims the headline and centre of attention and writes stories under an unstated assumption the Jewish Council represents Jewish New Zealanders.

In fact, it seems the only time Stuff covers PSNA is when the New Zealand Jewish Council, or some other allied entity, attacks our organisation, and Stuff feels required to provide a semblance of balance at the end of the story.

Contrast this with the wall of silence Stuff erects around local Palestinians when they seek to be heard in our mainstream media. There are many Palestinian/New Zealander voices who deserve to be heard as commentators. But they are regularly ignored by Stuff. And yet Palestinians are the victims here, and have been for eight decades, though it seems the media has been so well trained by the New Zealand Jewish Council that Israel gets to be the victim no matter what happens.

Why not arrest Israeli war crimes suspects when they come to New Zealand?

**War criminal Moshe Ya’alon – “the butcher of Qana”**

There is nothing unusual about arresting Israelis on war crimes charges. In 2006, a magistrate in Auckland issued a warrant against then Israeli war minister Moshe Ya'alon, when he was visiting New Zealand, on suspicion of war crimes.

Unfortunately, the Labour government Attorney General at the time, Michael Cullen, interfered with the legal process and ensured that the arrest warrant was deactivated. Labour saw to it that the war crimes suspect went free.

Ya'alon is still politically active. He recently said of what Israel is doing to Gaza, "The road we are being led down is conquest, annexation and ethnic cleansing…in reality the land is being cleared of Arabs."

Is that measles on the Noel Leemimg van?

Are you a media creator for PSNA yet?

Over the past while we have included in our newsletter advice from our social media team how YOU can become a content creator for PSNA and improve your on-line communication of Palestine solidarity though videos and posts.

We have brought that advice together on this new page on our website at the link here or via the QR code here:

The latest addition to the page is reprinted below

Videos of rallies and events shared on social media - Collaborations with National PSNA account

Just a quick note to let you all know that while the national PSNA account welcomes invitations to collaborations from other PSNA accounts so we can showcase rallies and events that have happened around the motu there are two major things you can do to make it more likely we will accept those collaborations:

1. Let people know the location and the date of the rally/event - plus any other useful information such as the particular focus of the rally/event. This means when people see the video stills on our grid they are more likely to click on them to take a look. Otherwise we get lots of crowd shots on our grid with no indication for our audience about where the protests were, when they happened or what they were specifically focused on.

The easiest way to do this is to make a Reel cover for your video including this info. Another way to do it is to pop the information over the first few seconds of your video and select that frame as your profile image.

2. To make sure your video footage is visually interesting - e.g., different camera angles of the crowd plus some different shots of any speakers (close up / far away) at your rally edited together. It doesn’t have to be Hollywood but it helps keep eyeballs engaged if the video more than just one long shot of someone talking or of a crowd marching. You get get more information about this on the ‘Media Creation Page’ on our website - https://www.psna.nz/media-creation

Free Palestine Party leaflets

And you can watch the great 15 second TV ad for the Free Palestine Party at these times:

International action by dockworkers

There is a long proud history of international solidarity by dockworkers using their union strength to support workers and fight oppression around the globe – in this case in support of Palestinians. Read about it here.

Important stories this week

Editor’s picks

Gaza media: ‘Why we document history – even if accountability feels distant’ here
‘Test of regionalism’ – Pacific churches call for review of Israel’s PIF role here
NZ’s foreign policy obligation to confront Israel’s Gaza genocide here
Israel’s “mediacide” aims to destroy the truth in Gaza — Albanese here
Three Years of Genocide Leave Over Two Million Gazans Starving here
Mecca alliance visits Tehran in push to end Israeli-US war and build regional security here

Films, books, performances, Palestinian culture:

“Gaza – Anatomy of a Genocide” by Peter Macky

Book Launch in Tamaki Makaurau

The book examines the events in Gaza over the past three years and the circumstances surrounding them.

Emeritus Professor Michael Neill, of the University of Auckland, says

"I admire this book enormously — its energy, its intelligence, its meticulous research, and its careful concern for history. I know of nothing like it."

Date: Thursday, 29 October 2026
Time: 5:30 pm for 6:00 pm start
Venue: Kahui St David’s, 70 Khyber Pass Road, Grafton, Auckland

Getting there: Kāhui St David’s is accessible by public transport. Grafton Train Station is a ten-minute walk. Bus stops on Khyber Pass Road and Park Road are nearby. For routes and departure times, please consult the Auckland Transport Journey Planner. There’s plenty of free off-street immediately adjacent to the venue and paid on-street and paid parking in the surrounding area.

Admission is free, but registration is required.

Click here to confirm your attendance: https://events.humanitix.com/book-launch-gaza-anatomy-of-a-genocide

The book is 420 pages, illustrated, and signed copies will be for sale for $40 — cash, payWave or bank deposit (no EFTPOS). It will also be available in bookshops or post-free from the publisher: info@steeleroberts.co.nz — www.steeleroberts.co.nz

“I do hope you can join me, my publisher, Roger Steele of Steele Roberts Aotearoa and our guests for what will be a memorable occasion” Peter Macky.

The best reason to go out and buy a Sally Rooney book

Sally Rooney’s books taken off shelves in Britain here

Regular items

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“Sitting on the Fence” now available online

In Sitting On The Fence, Kiwi voices speaking truth to power in Aotearoa, US and Israel over their complicity in genocide have at last been given the platform that those in Parliament, the media and diplomacy have sought to silence.” Jane Kelsey - Emeritus Professor of Law, Auckland University, Aotearoa / New Zealand

Sitting On The Fence is now available to watch online in New Zealand.

The film can be viewed at this link www.sittingonthefence.tv. Please share on your social media networks.

And from Ilan Pappe…

**Ilan Pappe, Israeli historian / author, Professor at Exeter University UK**

When asked to comment on the kiwi film by Daniel Cleary well-known Israeli historian Ilan Pappe has high praise:

“Albert Einstein said that "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” This includes those politicians in New Zealand who sat on the fence, and still do, during the most televised genocide in our times. But Sitting On The Fence and some of the brave critics interviewed in it give us hope that complicity is not only exposed but can also be challenged. This film is a tribute to the few who did not remain silent and a harsh indictment of those who will be judged for being on the wrong side of the history of New Zealand and of Palestine. This is not just a film about complicity in New Zealand, but how the silence in New Zealand tragically epitomises that of the world”

You can watch the film here: www.sittingonthefence.tv

Your KiwiSaver may be funding violations of Palestinian rights

Important message from Barry Coates – founder and CEO of Mindful Money

(Website: mindfulmoney.nz. Join our mailing list here)

The judgement won by PSNA forcing the NZ Super Fund to review its investments in four companies that violate the rights of Palestinian people was important. It also sends a warning across the bow of KiwiSaver and other investment funds funds. You may not realise it, but your KiwiSaver might be invested in those four companies.

Mindful Money is a charity that tracks investment in KiwiSaver, including companies on the United Nations Human Rights Council database of companies involved in the building and maintenance of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. Our analysis shows there is even more invested in the four companies by KiwiSaver funds than by the NZ Super Fund.

So what can you do? Check your fund – it is free, quick and easy to do so. Go to www.mindfulmoney.nz, type in the name of your KiwiSaver fund into the Fund Checker, click the button ‘Show Companies’ and look for the companies with an OPT symbol. If you see any of those companies in your fund, write to your fund manager (the address is on your KiwiSaver statement) and tell them you don’t want your savings going to those companies.

If you want to shift to a fund that doesn’t invest in those companies, use the Fund Finder to find a Mindful Ethical Fund. You can also use the same website for non-KiwiSaver managed funds.

It’s your money. Don’t let it be used to fund companies that violate human rights.

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