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 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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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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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’.
Read MorePalestine 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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PSNA says Foreign Minister Winston Peters has issued what it calls a gold-plated reward to appease Israel for its genocide against the Palestinian people, with the decision not to announce sanctions, or even to recognise a state of Palestine, at the United Nations today.
PSNA Co-chair Maher Nazzal, says that the rest of the world recoils in horror at Israel’s cruel and depraved war crimes against the Palestinian people, but Winston Peters has washed his hands and walked away.
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PSNA says a proposed ‘thank you visit’ by Israel’s deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel would be embarrassing for the New Zealand government and expose it as a collaborator with Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co chair, John Minto says he expects the New Zealand government will find some excuse to avoid having Haskel in New Zealand.
Read MoreAn international flotilla of ships and boats is sailing towards Gaza loaded with humanitarian relief supplies for the beleaguered Palestinians living there and suffering from Israeli-perpetrated mass killing and mass starvation of the population.
The people on the flotilla represent the very best of human values and are standing up for humanity when many governments, including our own, are failing to uphold these values.
We are requesting our government inform Israel that Aotearoa New Zealand expects them to facilitate the entry of this humanitarian convoy so it can deliver the desperately needed food, water and medical supplies.
Read MorePSNA says the ‘complexity’ excuse for cabinet inaction on Palestine this morning is a cowards’ way out for the government to avoid even the most tepid policy to oppose Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Prime Minister, Chris Luxon, said this morning that cabinet today would not be making decisions on recognition of Palestine for Foreign Minister, Winston Peters to take to the United Nations General Assembly next week.
Luxon said recognition of Palestine was ‘complex’ and government decisions were still weeks away.
Read MorePSNA anticipates Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, will get instructions to increase pressure on Israel at cabinet tomorrow.
The United Nations General Assembly High Level Leaders Debate starts in New York next Tuesday.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-Chair, John Minto says the government has to have listened to the voice of the people who marched for sanctions against Israel, in Auckland yesterday.
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