Government urgently needs to join international condemnation of Israeli suspension of aid organisations in Gaza
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa says the government urgently needs to join international condemnation of Israel’s suspension of dozens of humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders, which provide food, water and medical services for Palestinians in Gaza.
“This is a death sentence to thousands more Palestinian in Gaza,” says PSNA Co-Chair John Minto.
“With western countries distracted by New Year celebrations, Israel has decided to dramatically tighten its stranglehold on aid to Gaza.”
“Only 20% of the aid agreed under the so-called ‘ceasefire agreement’ has been allowed in.”
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Israeli Genocide Holiday Season in NZ Peaking Now
Our summer is the main time for Israelis to visit New Zealand, and PSNA is warning that many soldiers who have been serving in the IDF genocide in Gaza will be among them.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa says Immigration NZ figures show 799 Israelis visited New Zealand last December, and half of them would be of an age to be eligible for compulsory military service. The Israeli visitor numbers then usually increase for January and February.
PSNA Co-chair John Minto says all these soldiers would have been complicit in some way with the ongoing genocide in Gaza during the past two years.
“So, what these troops are doing, is having a ‘Genocide Holiday’ here. They belong to a military force which has been responsible for perhaps hundreds of thousands of deaths in Gaza, the all but total destruction of its buildings and other infrastructure, and mass ethnic cleansing and starvation.”
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NZ government looking the other way on record Israeli West Bank settlement building
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) is again urging the government to uphold its long-standing policies and publicly take action against record Israeli settlement expansion.
It has just been reported that the Israeli cabinet has approved 19 more illegal settlements in the equally illegal Occupied West Bank. This decision will double the number of settlements in the West Bank since the current Israeli government came to power.
PSNA Co-Chair Maher Nazzal says past National-led governments have taken a strong rhetorical stance against such settlements.
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PSNA will continue to protest Israel’s genocide despite efforts to muzzle the Palestinian solidarity movement across the western world
Despite plans to suppress Palestine support protests throughout most of the western world, Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa says it will continue to hold regular rallies and marches against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
PSNA co-chair John Minto says the movement will continue to organise consumer boycotts and demand government sanctions on Israel.”
“This is a genocidal, apartheid regime. We will not be cowed by the butchers in Tel Aviv who perversely claim it’s the protests which are causing a rise in anti-semitism.”
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PSNA condemns anti-semitic terrorist attack on Bondi Beach and those trying to exploit this horrific act of race-hatred
PSNA was appalled and shocked at Sunday’s anti-semitic terror attack targeting the Jewish community in Australia on the first day of the celebration of Hanukkah.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-Chair John Minto says he’s thinking of the families who have lost loved ones in this most dreadful of circumstances.
“For those who would try to make out otherwise, we reiterate our condemnation of racism and race hatred of any kind – whether it is anti-semitism, anti-Māori racism, anti-Palestinian racism or white supremacy. There is no place for any of it anywhere in the world.
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Parliament disrupted by Palestine Solidarity protest this afternoon
n rose to answer the first question of the day but didn’t get a single word in before the public gallery erupted with chanting and tossing leaflets identifying the key government supporters of Israel’s ongoing Gaza genocide.
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PSNA says sanctions on Israel needed now more than ever
PSNA is renewing calls to the government for sanctions, as Israel breaches the ceasefire in Gaza, with killing and still preventing essential aid getting into Gaza.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair John Minto points to Israeli claims that it is ‘enforcing’ the ceasefire.
“Israeli soldiers have violated the ceasefire more than 500 times since the US plan came into effect. They have killed 356 Palestinians in the same period.”
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Police anti-democratic overreach targets protesters outside National MP offices
PSNA is accusing Christchurch police of overreach and committing a chilling breach of the right to protest, by issuing trespass notices on people protesting National Party MPs’ complicity in Israel’s genocide.
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa has asked the Independent Police Conduct Authority for an urgent investigation.
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PSNA condemns the deployment of NZ Liaison officer in Israel
PSNA has condemned the New Zealand government's decision to deploy a “liaison officer” to Israel to work with the US and Israel to implement the Trump ‘peace’ plan for Gaza.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair Maher Nazzal says it is ominous
that the liaison officer will be based inside a US military office.
“Instead, we should be working with the United Nations in the region. Trump plans to perpetuate the Israeli occupation under a fig-leaf of it being multinational. That is what we are supporting.”
“This is more of the same complicity with the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza.
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PSNA requests Prime Minister overrule Judith Collins and end BlackSky Technology satellite launches
After what PSNA calls the shocking TVNZ interview with Minister of Defence Judith Collins on Friday, it has written to the Prime Minister today.
PSNA has requested Luxon direct Collins to withdraw approval for forthcoming Rocket Lab satellite launches for BlackSky Technology from Mahia, which could be used by Israel in Gaza.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair John Minto says Collins ‘can’t be trusted to uphold New Zealanders’ values’.
“She went for any excuse to justify approving the launches, and the Prime Minister must rein her in.”
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PSNA says Israeli Deputy Minister ‘sneaking into NZ’ this weekend while Israel resumes its genocide in Gaza
It seems clear from media reports that Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskell is visiting Auckland this weekend as part of a trip to strengthen ties with New Zealand and other Pacific countries.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair Maher Nazal says he would expect Foreign Minister Winston Peters to have had, or will be having, a secret meeting with Haskell.
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Prime Minister urged to demand Israel allow New Zealand humanitarian supplies through to the starving people of Gaza
PSNA is urging Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to stand up to Israel and demand it allow the tens of millions in New Zealand aid to get through to the starving people of Gaza.
Despite the ceasefire the head of the World Health Organisation said today the hunger crisis in Gaza is “catastrophic”. Meanwhile 41 aid organisations have said Israel is “arbitrarily” rejecting aid shipments into famine-struck Gaza where the UN says a quarter of Gaza’s population is starving.
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Judith Collins dog-whistles to her small choir to drown out Palestine
PSNA says Minister of Defence Judith Collins’ open-letter attack on teachers, for daring to raise Palestine in their discussions with the government, says more about her own prejudices than teacher priorities.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair Maher Nazzal says teachers, who have devoted their lives to educating children here, would be appalled at the wholesale slaughter of Palestinian school children in Gaza.
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Peters silent on Barghouti torture and Israeli non compliance with ceasefire
As nationwide protests against Israeli genocide continue this weekend into the third year, PSNA is demanding Foreign Minister Winston Peters condemn Israeli torture of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti and Israel’s failure to abide by the terms of the ceasefire.
PSNA’s Co-chair, John Minto, says Barghouti is Palestine’s equivalent to South African anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandela.
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PSNA legal challenge to NZ Superfund’s investments opens in Auckland High Court tomorrow morning (Tuesday 14th October)
The Palestine Solidarity Network’s legal challenge against the New Zealand Superfund’s investments in companies helping to build and maintain illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territories opens in the Auckland High Court tomorrow (Tuesday 14 October) and is expected to run for two days.
The named plaintiffs are PSNA Co-Chairs, Maher Nazzal and John Minto, and Rawaa Elhanafy. The lawyers taking the case are Rodney Harrison KC and Frances Joychild KC.
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Welcoming home the best of New Zealand – Will Alexander
Palestine solidarity supporters will be welcoming home Will Alexander this afternoon at 2.45pm at Christchurch airport. Will and his partner Ava Mulla were part of the latest flotilla to try to break the Israeli siege of Gaza.
Will and Ava were aboard the “Conscience” which, along with eight smaller boats, was illegally intercepted by Israel on Wednesday last week in international waters while on its way to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The New Zealand government has not protested this seizure of New Zealand citizens in international waters.
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Peters critical of extremist Zionist MPs
PSNA says Foreign Minister Winston Peters is quite correct to identify Israeli-supporting members of parliament as ‘extremists’.
Peters has made a ministerial statement in parliament today where he defended New Zealand’s non-recognition of Palestine, condemned ‘extremists on both sides…including those in this House’ and claimed there was ‘violent targeting of politicians’ private homes’.
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PSNA joins condemnation of attack on Peters’ home
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa has joined the condemnation of the attack on Winston Peters’ home.
Co-chair John Minto says it has not yet been clearly established that the attack was motivated as a response to Peters’ refusal to recognise Palestinian rights and sanction Israel for war crimes and genocide.
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