The absence of a New Zealand government signature on a
22-member joint statement, which is condemning the E1
Israeli settlement in the Occupied West Bank, can only be
interpreted as a ‘moral collapse’ in our foreign policy,
according to the Palestine Solidarity Network
Aotearoa.
The recent joint statement was issued by the
Foreign Ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and
the European Commission.
The statement condemned the
decision by the Israeli Higher Planning Committee to approve
plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, East of
Jerusalem, as ‘unacceptable and a violation of
international law’.
The E1 settlement would divide
the Occupied West Bank into two regions – northern and
southern.
PSNA spokesperson, Rinad Tamimi says the New
Zealand’s government’s absence from the statement is
even worse, in the context of the statement specifically
citing UN Security Council Resolution 2334, describing the
settlements as a “flagrant breach of international
law.”
“The Key/English National Party government
co-sponsored this resolution at the UN Security Council in
2016. But the Luxon National Party, even after the genocide
in Gaza in the past three years, can’t even bother to put
its name to this recent condemnation,” Tamimi
says.
“In the nuanced world of world of
international diplomacy, Israel will be taking favourable
note of New Zealand’s slide into not caring what
atrocities Israel is committing.”
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
“Without taking
any other action, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has always
made of point of saying he often ‘made his concerns
known’ to Israel. Now he’s even given up on
that.”
Tamimi is also concerned that none of New
Zealand’s political parties have specific policies to
support Palestine in their election manifestos.
Tamimi
says Israel’s genocide in Gaza is the worst atrocity of
the 21st century.
“While there is meant to be a
functioning ceasefire, the latest news from Gaza is that
Israel has reoccupied more than 70 percent of Gaza, Israeli
forces have resumed their assault because children in Gaza
were flying kites. And on the Occupied West Bank Israeli
settlers are openly beating up foreign network journalists
with impunity.”
New Zealand has practical and
significant symbolic leverage against Israel which it
deliberately has decided not to use.”
“As you
would expect, all three coalition parties, pretend there is
no such thing as foreign policy.”
“Labour, Greens
and Te Pāti Māori have expressed support for Palestine,
including imposing sanctions.”
“But they need to
clearly state what type and level of sanctions. Even the
present government can say its immigration bans on West Bank
terrorist settlers constitutes a sanction.”
“It
all amounts to just election rhetoric, without announcing
specific and meaningful sanctions in all areas; trade,
investment, diplomatic, military and immigration,” Tamimi
says.
“Without sanctions, genocide, ethnic
cleansing, and the Greater Israel project, are all still
licenced for Israel to
action.”
