Shame on you both.

 Israel is conducting genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and you haven’t opened your mouths demanding it end. Over 8,000 civilians now dead with more than 3,000 children killed but not a single word from either of you to hold Israel to account. This is contemptable.

"More than two million people, with nowhere safe to go, are being denied the essentials for life - food, water, shelter and medical care - while being subjected to relentless bombardment.” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Muttering meaningless comments about respect for international law is a copout when you won’t call out Israeli war crimes. As the UN Secretary General said “This didn’t happen in a vacuum”. Silence in the face of genocide is complicity.

On his appearance on breakfast television this morning Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has sided with Israeli guns over Palestinian children.

(Last week Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein said “we should side with the child over the gun every single time, no matter whose gun and no matter whose child”)

In his appearance Hipkins once again condemned the killing of Israeli civilians on October 7th.

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is helping co-ordinate nationwide rallies every weekend until the Israel/Gaza war is over.

We have been pleased with the huge numbers turning out across the country in the past three weeks – each week the numbers have doubled.

Aotearoa New Zealand is part of a rapidly growing international movement demanding an end to the killing.

Another round of nationwide rallies and marches will take place this weekend across Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel/Gaza war.

The protests here are part of a rapidly growing global movement calling for a ceasefire and for immediate humanitarian aid to Palestinians caught up in this humanitarian catastrophe.

We, the undersigned individuals and organisations, appeal to the New Zealand government to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza/Israel war.

We realise there is a transition between governments occurring, but the people of Gaza can’t wait for the help they need.

The situation in Gaza is extremely grave, as approximately 2.3 million Palestinians are facing severe shortages of water, food, electricity, medicine, and essential healthcare services. This crisis has been exacerbated by relentless Israeli attacks that have persisted for more than two weeks and are now intensifying.

Today the Secretary General of the United Nations called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel/Gaza war and PSNA says New Zealand must follow suite.

“The Hamas attack [of 7 October] did not happen in a vacuum.

The Palestinian people have been subjected to decades of stifling occupation. They have seen their lands devoured by settlements. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have faded.” He added: “The attacks of the Palestinian resistance do not justify Israel’s mass killing taking place in Gaza.”

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 realise there is a transition between governments occurring, but the people of Gaza can’t wait for the help we can give.

The death toll for Palestinians in Gaza is now over 3,700 with more than 1,524 children among the dead.

How many more children do you think should die before you call for a ceasefire?

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins bows to US pressure and does not call for “de-escalation/ceasefire,” an “end to violence/bloodshed” or “restoring calm” in Gaza

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has capitulated to US pressure and did not use any phrase which would “urge calm” in the Gaza/Israel war when he made his announcement of $5 million in humanitarian aid to the war zone (Hipkins statement is copied in full below)

A cowardly, shameful response to genocide of Palestinians in Gaza

This afternoon’s government announcement of $5 million in humanitarian aid to “Israel, Gaza and the West Bank” is a cowardly, shameful response to Israel’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The priority for Gaza is not bandages and aspirins – they need loud voices condemning Israeli genocide. They need the bombing and killing to stop.

PSNA is pleased with the large turnout of Palestinians and Palestinian supporters at rallies around the country today.

The rallies, which began with a minute of silence to remember all the civilians killed in the last week, had two aims:

• To condemn 75 years of Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people

• To demand the government speak out against these war crimes. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has been happy to condemn attacks on Israeli civilians but has been deathly silent on the carnage Israel is once more inflicting on the civilian people of Gaza.

Dunedin (200), Christchurch (500), Auckland (3000) were the largest but gatherings also took place in small centres like Napier, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Palmerston North and New Plymouth.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins fell over himself earlier in the week to condemn the Hamas attack on Israel but has shown callous racism in refusing to condemn Israel’s wanton killing of Palestinians civilians in Gaza.

Read on

*** We apologise to the Palestinian Community for previous wording. This has now been updated***

Nationwide rallies on Saturday to condemn killing of civilians and to demand New Zealand government action to prevent further tragedy

PSNA is holding rallies around the country this Saturday demanding the New Zealand government to act to prevent further killings of civilians.

The start of each rally will include a minute of silence to remember all the civilians who have been killed in the last week.

Q - So no formal recognition (of Palestine)?

GR - Not until there is a state to recognise.

After more than a year of talking about a visit to Palestine, and several false starts, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has finally called off a proposed trip to the Middle East before the election citing "scheduling problems".

This is deeply disappointing for this country, as well as for Palestinians.

The proposed visit was an opportunity for the Labour government to shift New Zealand policy to give greater support to Palestinians living under the longest military occupation in modern history and hold Israel to account for its breaches of international law and Palestinian human rights.

This will not happen now and with opinion polls as they are in the leadup to October’s election it is unlikely Mahuta will ever get to Palestine as Foreign Minister.