Palestine Solidarity supporters will protest New Zealand
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ “the real state of the
nation” public meeting in Ōtautahi/Christchurch this
Sunday from 1pm at the Christchurch Town Hall (the NZ First
meeting for Peters begins at 2pm).
While
New
Zealanders call for sanctions on Israel for genocide, Mr
Peters continues to look the other way.
As we said in
a media release yesterday Mr Peters has repeatedly failed
to:
· Express any concern for the Palestinians
killed by Israel since Israel ended the ceasefire (at least
436 killed – including 183 children as well as nearly 200
during the ‘ceasefire’)
· Condemn Israel
for this industrial-scale carnage, which the International
Court of Justice found more than a year ago to be a case of
‘plausible genocide’.
· Condemn Israel for
ending the ceasefire (It was Israel alone which refused to
begin negotiations on stage two of the ceasefire agreement
which was to lead to a permanent Israeli ceasefire and
withdrawal from all of Gaza)
· Condemn Israel
for its blockade on food, water, fuel, electricity, and
medical supplies getting into Gaza – a war crime by any
measure of humanity
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“Mr Peters talks about
the ‘incomprehensible human suffering over the past year
and half’ but there is no mystery about this suffering”
John Minto says.
“It stems from a brutal
miliary occupation declared illegal last year by the
International Court of
Justice.”
“Mr. Peters pretends
this is a conflict between two equal sides. But there is no
balance when one side is carrying out mass slaughter and the
other is fighting for survival.”
Mr
Peters seems to think he is being clever in not condemning
Israel as a way of avoiding offending the US but New
Zealanders want and expect more from our government. We want
principled action which will gain the respect of countries
the world over rather than cowardly appeasement.
The
protest will be calling on the government to “Sanction
Israel for
Genocide!”
