Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA)
PSNA is cautiously welcoming the Gaza ceasefire and proposed exchange of hostages between Israel and Hamas.
At least 7,000 Palestinians are being held in detention without trial by Israel and about 20 Israeli soldiers are held by Hamas.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair, Maher Nazzal says the deal is a reprieve from Israel’s genocidal attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.
“It’s been two years of mass bombing and starvation. It’s the worst atrocity of the 21st century.”
“The real tragedy is that the main elements of this ceasefire deal were already agreed to nine months ago in January. Israel was forced to let Palestinians return to Gaza City, and lower the intensity of its attacks.”
“Within a few weeks, the Israelis scuttled the agreement, shut off all food and intensified their attacks and are now ethnically re-cleansing Gaza City.”
“Expulsion is still the Israeli government’s aim. Netanyahu must be disappointed that Trump is no longer advocating for removal of Palestinians from Gaza, but Netanyahu usually gets his way with Trump in the end.”
Nazal says PSNA especially notes the Hamas acceptance statement calls on countries supporting the deal – New Zealand included – to make sure Israel abides by the few specific conditions imposed on Israel in the agreement.
“Israel has broken every peace deal it has ever signed on Palestine, right from occupying more than half of what was allocated by the United Nations as a Palestinian state in 1948.”
“In the 1993 Oslo peace deal, which the US also brokered, there was meant to be a Palestinian state within five years. Israel made sure this never happened.”
“This time, there is no mention of the Occupied West Bank. Nothing about return of refugees. There is no commitment in the Trump deal for a Palestinian state, for Winston Peters to eventually recognise. There’s just a vague pathway with no timelines and it’s all conditional on Israeli approval,” Nazzal says.
“So we have a message for Winston Peters, who is demanding PSNA and other protesters applaud the Trump deal as ‘case solved’.”
“Ceasefire or not, our campaign to isolate the apartheid state of Israel will continue to grow until all Palestinians are liberated.”
Maher Nazzal
Co-Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
