Source: Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA)
A recent poll on whether New Zealanders want sanctions to be imposed on Israel, shows that of those who gave an opinion, 60% favour sanctions.
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa commissioned survey gave a similar result to one commissioned by Justice for Palestine a year ago.
PSNA Co-Chair John Minto says the numbers show strong popular support for sanctions. The 60% overall rose to 68% for the 18 – 29 year category.
“The government is well out of step with public opinion and ignores this message at its peril. There is popular support for sanctions against Israel.”
“People see that Israel is committing the worst atrocities of the 21st century with impunity. It is starving a whole population. It has destroyed just about every building in Gaza. It is assassinating journalists. It holds 7,000 Palestinian hostages in its jails without charge. Its goal of occupying all of Gaza and ethnically cleansing its people into the Sudan desert, is all public knowledge.”
“Its depraved Prime Minister, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, is boasting that if Israel was really committing genocide, it could have killed everyone in Gaza in a single afternoon.”
“The poll shows New Zealand First supporters are most opposed to sanctions against Israel (59% of those who gave an opinion were opposed) so it’s little surprise Winston Peters is dragging the chain”
“National has contracted out foreign affairs to the most reactionary part of its coalition government and is tying all New Zealanders into supporting impunity for Israel for its genocide in Gaza.”
“This brings shame on every New Zealander. When once this country would have led the way speaking out for justice and human rights, Winston Peters has us tagging along with the US”
The poll also asked respondents if they favoured recognition of a Palestinian state.
“Very significantly, four percent more of them were for sanctions, than were for recognition. I presume they saw recognition as some sort of soft tokenism.”
“Our government can’t even manage that.”
Minto says immediate government moves are imperative. He says New Zealand’s position has become the weakest in the western world, slipping to be on par with the United States.
“There’s a whole raft of sanction options; including immigration, diplomatic, trade, investment, cutting off military services, and technical cooperation.”
“The only thing the government has done is ban two Israeli cabinet ministers from entering our country, while our Foreign Minister still welcomes thousands of participants a year in the genocidal Israeli army to come here for rest and recreation.”
Minto says even sanctions have become a soft option with the escalating crisis.
“What is urgently needed is for countries to band together to use their armies to break the Gaza blockade and deliver food, water and medicine’.”
“This could be through a United Nations mandate such as through a “Uniting for Peace” Resolution (UN General Assembly resolution 377(V)) through an Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly. It has to happen somehow.”
“The four daily killing traps of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation are a deliberate disaster organised by the Israeli Defence Forces. The aid parachute drops are a grossly inadequate farce”
“People in New Zealand can see this is happening. None of it is a secret or complicated anymore. Winston Peters is looking like Neville Chamberlain after Munich in 1938. He is failing us on Gaza. If he can’t deliver sanctions now, National has to replace him”
John Minto
Co-Chair PSNA
