Palestine solidarity demo

Rally outside of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 175 Lambton Quay: 

NO to the brutal and ongoing occupation of Palestine and that the extension of relations should depend on Israel
making moves towards peace.

Statement from the students for Justice in Palestine:

Vic Students Critical of Israeli Youth Exchange

Victoria Students for Palestine says opening up travel between New Zealand and Israel is an irresponsible move by the New Zealand Government.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has just signed an agreement with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in Israeli occupied Jerusalem, extending the Working Holidays Scheme between New Zealand and Israel.

Students for Palestine here says that in increasing relations with the world’s number one violator of international law, New Zealand is condoning such behaviour.

Spokesperson for the group Anita Clarke, says extending relations between Israel and New Zealand should depend on Israel making moves towards peace and ending its occupation of Palestinian territory.

 

“But Israel is doing the exact opposite. Despite continuous calls from the international community,Israel continues to build illegal Jews only settlements on the West Bank and East Jerusalem.  At the same time it’s tearing down Palestinian homes in the same places.”

 

Furthermore, the group thinks that New Zealand should have learnt from the experience of Israeli Mossad agents stealing identities for passports in Auckland in 2004 and the exposure last month of the suspected Mossad assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai. These incidents show Israeli abuse of what appears to be benign foreign passports is vital to their clandestine operations.    

 

Students for Palestine dismisses claims that Murray McCully’s trip to Israel is balanced by meeting with the Palestine Authority in Ramallah on the occupied West Bank.  “Western governments like to pretend that Mahmoud Abbas is the leader of the government of Palestine, and don’t want to acknowledge his political party lost the 2006 Palestinian elections to Hamas.  If New Zealand were really being even handed we would be having a dialogue with Hamas.”