Terror, human shields, and de-legitimising Israel

Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, November 21st, 2023 - 43 comments
Categories: International, israel, Palestine, war - Tags:

Hamas is deploying a set of tough ethical calculations as it planned its attack on Israeli civilians to kill, rape, and kidnap as it did.

One of them is in the use of human shields for their ongoing operations for those in Hamas in Gaza who may survive and continue to fight the Israel Defence Force (IDF). Hamas calculates that the more it provokes Israel into pursuing them even at the expense of civilian death and injury, the more Israel will be delegitimised by the media in more and more countries. Hamas leadership reaffirmed the human shield logic this year that they built the tunnels to keep its own organisation intact at the expense of its own civilians:

Interviewer: “Many people are asking: Since you have built 500 kilometers of tunnels, why haven’t you built bomb shelters, where civilians can hide during bombardment?”

Mousa Abu Marzouk: “We have built the tunnels because we have no other way of protecting ourselves from being targeted and killed. These tunnels are meant to protect us from the airplanes. We are fighting from inside the tunnels.

This is a simple admission that the tunnels are a convenient way for Hamas to hide its military assets underneath civilian infrastructure. This is a textbook use of human shields, which is prohibited under international law.

By locating Palestinian civilians in or above its military positions, Hamas calculates it cannot lose. Either using human shields will prevent Israel from attacking altogether as Israel determines it can’t attack without harming civilians, or as it has done now, attack even at the cost of civilian casualties. Hamas then doesn’t have to do more than let the international footage do its work generating moral outrage of a scale that delegitimises Israel further into equivalence with the terror of Hamas.

This Hamas logic is such a longstanding issue that the United States Congress passed the Sanctioning the Use of Civilians as Defenceless Shields Act in 2018. This law specifically called out Hamas.

Since at least 2014 the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), whose sole mission is to provide relief to for Palestinians, has repeatedly found stores of Hamas rockets hidden in tunnels beneath its schools.

In 2014, a human rights lawyer on CNN said:

The idea that Palestinians use their children as human shields is racist and reprehensible.”

To which host Jake Tapper responded:

We have video of the Hamas spokesman on television telling people to stay in their homes, that it’s an effective way to make sure to fight off the Israelis. That’s not racist. That’s just a fact.”

From research conducted by NATO, Hamas’ most common uses of human shields have been going on since at least 2007 and include:

  • Firing rockets, artillery, and mortars from or in proximity to heavily populated civilian areas, often from or near facilities which should be protected according to the Geneva Convention (e.g. schools, hospitals, or mosques)
  • Locating military or security-related infrastructures such as HQs, bases, armouries, access routes, lathes, or defensive positions within or in proximity to civilian areas
  • Protecting terrorists’ houses and military facilities, or rescuing terrorists who were besieged or warned by the IDF.
  • Combating the IDF from or in proximity to residential and commercial areas, including using civilians for intelligence gathering missions.

There is a specific ethical equation Hamas has to make to get anything out of what it instigated in its attack.

The use of human shields is an example of ‘lawfare’; the use of the legal system against an enemy by delegitimising them, and winning a public relations victory that may gain international support in such bodies as the United Nations Security Council. It a way a small actor magnifies its power against a much more powerful force like Israel. No matter how Israel justifies a strike, the framing of the image of dead and wounded civilians frames the narrative.

Even if at the end of the war Israel justifies each and every one of its attacks from a legal perspective with well considered legal arguments, public opinion shifts further away from supporting Israel at all: politics trumping law.

National governments should be able to justify their position and reveal their adversary’s use of civilians with well documented incidents and supportive messages, working across multiple channels to convey those narratives.

Israel is in some senses being defeated by Hamas either by attacking to destroy Hamas and killing innocent people, or not attacking and causing complete political chaos inside Israel and massive triumph to its multiple state and terrorist enemies which surround it.

The 27 European Union nations see this growing dilemma clearly, with the European Union nations jointly condemning Hamas for what they described as the use of hospitals and civilians as “human shields” in the war against Israel.

Last week the EU nations said in a statement they join “calls for immediate pauses in hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian corridors, including through increased capacity at border crossings and through a dedicated maritime route, so that humanitarian aid can safely reach the population of Gaza.” And they reiterated their “call on Hamas for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. It is crucial that the International Committee of the Red Cross is granted access to the hostages.”

And as a key tenet, it said that “the EU condemns the use of hospitals and civilians as human shields by Hamas.”

A further brual success was at the United Nations Security Council resolution last week, which notably the US let through rather than veto. The resolution made no mention of a ceasefire. It didn’t refer to Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7th. It called for the formation of humanitarian corridors for civilians to pass through, and the release of captives. Hamas would view this resolution as a diplomatic triumph.

So Hamas knows that it can win another part of the diplomatic war in part if it can turn the EU against Israel and ensure that its sole remaining strong ally would be the United States. Even in the United States, Israel has continued to lose support among younger generations because the Israeli government has turned harder and harder right since the 1990s and completely walked away from the ideals that it started with in the immediate decade after 1947.

Hamas has found its win-win weapon: now when the IDF uses kinetic power and the number of civilian causalities surges, Hamas can use that as a weapon in the lawfare it conducts. It would be able to accuse the IDF (and Israel) of committing war crimes, which in turn could result in the imposition of a wide array of sanctions and further loss of international support. That is a serious result for Hamas after killing 1,300 people, wounding many more, terrorising whole towns and kidnapping many Israeli citizens for ends in which few will survive to live again.

That makes for a neat but dark Hamas calculus used effectively over many years and used effectively now.

43 comments on “Terror, human shields, and de-legitimising Israel ”

  1. adam 1
    21 November 2023 at 4:42 pm

    The Gaza strip is about 360 square km or just over half the size of Urban Auckland. Not Auckland region which is 4,941.13 km2.

    It is at it widest point 14 km and shortest just under 10km. Length wise it is about 41 Km.

    When the war started there were 2.1 million people living their. This meant that the population density was roughly 8,100 people per square km. Now it's a bit less. As so far, 1% of the population has been killed by the IDF.

    Have you been to Auckland? Did you know in Auckland there is a Navy base situated right next to the well to do urban population, of Devonport. Or the Army base which is smack bang in a new urban development in Papakura. Also we should not forget the one which is not so close to civilians – Whenuapai Air Base.

    Crumbs major cities everywhere have military close to and on top of civilian areas. Who would have thought that was a good idea? Not me.

    But lets talk about the hostages shall we. In your world it seems they are important – more important than it is to Israel government. As they seem to not care in the slightest, what with the indiscriminate bombing. Or, the use by the IDF of Hellfire missiles on cars on day one – some of which, in all probability, contained hostages.

    Lets talk about day one shall we. Lets use your figure of 1,300 people. How many were IDF? And on active duty? Killing military combatants is now not allowed? I've heard figures of 500 at the top end. How many of the dead Israel citizens were killed by the IDF? You have seen the pictures, and some of the video. A lot of those killed were not killed by weapons Hamas have. Hellfire missiles leave tell tale signs. As they were designed to deal with armour. Truly ugly images when they hit building and cars, and I'm not going to post war porn here. You can go google it yourself if that your thing.

    I know it's not a good idea to stay in your home when a enemy is bombing it and all around you to death. But, people are funny. They have things like attachments to places and people. The fear loss, the think they will be OK, bad shit happens to other people. They remember history. A ugly history which if your a Palestinian keeps repeating. al-Nakba, al-Nakba, al-Nakba.

    Reply
    • SPC 1.1
      21 November 2023 at 5:39 pm

      Where one bases ones military is probably a function of a security assessment. Any nation that attack us where we are, will win. Our security is our location.

      For Hamas, it is having their (any) military based underground. But given they are not a recognised governing body, any use of force by its military wings is seen as a terrorist act.

      That they attack Israel to provoke a response while hiding underground (civilian shield) is a war crime. Israel was required to warn people in Gaza City to leave, as to bomb an urban area without doing so would have also been a war crime. Hamas asked them to stay.

      If Hamas recognised the state of Israel and were acting on behalf of a 1967 state – given the occupation policy since 2009 (and especially since 2022), it could have been seen as a defensive actor. Even then by attacking only Israeli military positions around Gaza and only taking unarmed civilians hostage.

      I know it's not a good idea to stay in your home when a enemy is bombing it and all around you to death. But, people are funny. They have things like attachments to places and people. The fear loss, the think they will be OK, bad shit happens to other people. They remember history. A ugly history which if your a Palestinian keeps repeating. al-Nakba, al-Nakba, al-Nakba.

      Sure, half of that was psychological. The rest some simply did not have their own transportation and others the assurance of a secure path and time for helping them.

      Reply
  2. Descendant Of Smith 2
    21 November 2023 at 5:15 pm

    So explain to me why it is OK for Israeli citizens to simply takeover Palestinian houses in order to expand Israel further – to move in and make them their own houses.

    How is this lawful? How could such behaviour not cause people to oppose them?

    There is hate and fault on both sides. It isn't a one or the other. Not helped in my view in believing in non-existent gods and thinking that old and ancient mythical rules are the way to live.

    Reply
  3. francesca 3
    21 November 2023 at 5:30 pm

    Gosh

    Those horrible Hamas people are weaponising

    Israeli war crimes now .

    What will they not stoop to ?

    Forcing those innocentl Israelis to barbarism mayhem and murder.

    They should be strung up and Netenyahu should be awarded a peace prize.

    This has been a long time coming .

    Why are we only paying attention now?

    Reply
  4. SPC 4
    21 November 2023 at 5:53 pm

    It called for the formation of humanitarian corridors for civilians to pass through, and the release of captives. Hamas would view this resolution as a diplomatic triumph.

    It was something Israel then did.

    While talks about a 5 day cease-fire with some hostages released was and is still going on.

    Otherwise it is surely onto provision of shelter, food and power in the south and a makeshift hospital there and a hospital ship off the coast.

    Reply
  5. Tony 5
    21 November 2023 at 6:46 pm

    Unbelievable misinformation Advantage.

    [You still have Mod notes to respond to (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-11-2023/#comment-1975285), so please complete this task before you comment here again.

    Given the piss-poor quality of your contributions here, I can say that you won’t be missed if you decide to opt for a ban instead – Incognito]

    Reply
  6. Tiger Mountain 6
    21 November 2023 at 6:51 pm

    Given the scale of non combatant death and destruction in an asymmetrical attack, this is actually a rather appalling post from ADVANTAGE. 75 years of horror, humiliation, land theft, brutality, arrest without due process, settler attacks, ignoring UN resolutions…is what gave rise to the likes of Hamas.

    It would be nice to see people here urging the government and NGOs to send aid and try to break the Gaza blockade–yes the real politik–most Governments are shit scared of US Imperialism it seems. Unions around the world are now supporting trade bans and BDS against the Apartheid state.

    Reply
    • SPC 6.1
      22 November 2023 at 8:02 am

      Israel supported a two state peace in 1948.

      Why was there no advocacy for a 1948 border Palestinian state during the Egypt and Jordan occupation of Gaza and the West Bank?

      The PA/PLO leadership were offered a (1948) 1967 border state with East Jerusalem as a capital in 2000.

      They said no because they also wanted right of return of refugees into the state of Israel and objected to (Jordan River) border security arrangements.

      The fences and the arrests were a result of intifada afterwards. Till 2000 (even as late as 2009) the settler project was only seen as serious by Likud, Labour saw it as a mere pressure for peace and would withdraw from them with any peace.

      Reply
      • lprent 6.1.1
        22 November 2023 at 8:24 am

        Plus they wanted the removal of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza as a precondition. That was the actual sticking point. Right of return was not the sticking point.

        Gaza settlements were removed in 2005 as part of Israels military disengagement from Gaza in favour of a land-sea-air blockage and effective siege, and 4 unlawful under Israeli law settlements were removed from the West Bank.

        However the most obvious signal of Israeli government intentions was the repeal of the law that allowed for the removal of unlawful settlements.

        Israel repeals 2005 act that removed West Bank settlements

        Netanyahu’s government has put settlement expansion at the top of its agenda and has already advanced thousands of new settlement housing units and retroactively authorized nine wildcat outposts in the West Bank.

        As Advantage is so invested in internationally unlawful activities, perhaps he'd like to comment on that set of activities.

        Because that is a much clearer violation of international law than the difficulties of mounting a resistance movement in what is effectively a concentration camp under a internationally unlawful decades long siege. Every place in the Gaza strip is close to medical facilities, schools, refugee camps – including the border with Israel. Any kinds of defensive or offensive structures will be close to civilians. So raising this as a topic is like saying ‘it is ok to get raped if it is close quarters’ because conforming to these ‘laws’ inside Gaza removes any ability to resist Israeli attacks or to take offensive actions in a 70+ year civil war in Palestine is impossible.

        Perhaps if the Israeli government actually followed international laws itself, then this wouldn’t be an issue. But there is always parties like teh Irgun, Likud and Benjamin Netanyahu and other war-mongering arseholes in the way.

        Reply
  7. Cinder 7
    21 November 2023 at 11:00 pm

    This is some extremely weak sauce. You even left your fingerprints at the scene of the crime

    1 – Your citation of "Rocket in tunnels under schools".

    No tunnels.
    Schools vacant and un-used
    This little detail at the bottom of the article

    • "AFTERNOTE

    UNRWA Jabalia Elementary “C” and Ayyobiya Boys School on 22 July 2014

    The Secretary-General convened a UN HQ Board of Inquiry (BOI) on 10 November 2014 in order to investigate a number of incidents between 8 July and 26 August 2014 affecting or involving United Nations personnel, premises and operations, including the report of the presence of weaponry at this school. The Secretary-General released a summary of the BOI report on 27 April 2015 (S/2015/286). The summary indicates that the items found were not rockets; the Board concluded that it was highly likely that a Palestinian armed group might have used the premises to hide weapons but was unable to confirm with certainty what type of weapon might have been hidden at the school.

    2 – Then you cite MEMRI. Founded by Israeli intelligence officers (one of whom is neo-conservative buddy of Richard Perle and Netanyahu) and with a history of bias and willful mistranslation of Arabic and other languages. I wouldn't trust anything that they claim without being able to access and understand the primary sources, especially the context. Thats how bad MEMRI are.

    3 – The use of "human shields" still does not remove the need for proportionality in the actions taken. Thats international law too – Why did you not mention that? Is it because you have seen the before and after satellite images of Gaza?

    4 – Its Israel – they have consistently claimed the enemy uses human shields on numerous occasions but never provide any proof. Its always just a few days away, just wait, hang on…. And then a year later they admit that they did indeed kill an entire family in a car for no reason except they were Palestinian. The destruction of the building used by AP and Al Jazeera was conducted under this claim, no proof was ever provided and thats just a single example where it would have been in their interests to do so.

    The only “evidence” you have provided did not mention tunnels, just un-used schools.
    Everything seems to be “The Israelis told us”

    Meanwhile – The use of humans as actual shields by the IDF has been documented repeatedly for over 2 decades.

    “Israeli soldiers had used Palestinian children to enter potentially dangerous buildings before them and to stand in front of military vehicles to deter stone-throwing, it said.”

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinian-israel-children/palestinian-children-tortured-used-as-shields-by-israel-u-n-idUSBRE95J0FR20130620/

    5 – NATO – Why would that military organisation take such a deep interest in urban combat operations? Ooooo….

    "there are massive profits to be made from testing Israeli military innovations on the more than four million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank."

    https://www.wrmea.org/2013-september/the-lab-israel-tests-weapons-tactics-on-captive-palestinian-population.html

    6 – Why would the Europeans be giving the Israelis a blank cheque? Nothing to do with the centuries of anti-semitism, expulsions, exoduses, pogroms and genocides which took place there I'm sure. And I'm sure the rising tide of anti-immigrant nationalism in the EU had nothing to do with it either

    7 – Do you really think Israel gives two wet farts about international law? Really?

    A country which thought that it was an act of war when we co-sponsored a UN resolution condemning the illegal settlements?

    A country which kidnapped a number of our citizens in international waters while maintaining an illegal blockade?

    If they really believe in international law then they should sign up to the Rome Statute.

    But they won't…

    Anyhoo – All of your post was rather pointless as the Israelis let the cat out of the bag over a month ago:

    IDF spokesperson R Adm Daniel Hagari made the startling admission that “hundreds of tons of bombs” had already been dropped on the tiny strip, adding that “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy”.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/10/right-now-it-is-one-day-at-a-time-life-on-israels-frontline-with-gaza

    You don't need to reply to this, no-one does.

    How about instead we check back in 12 months once the ethnic cleansing is complete and we can see if you have found a moral compass

    Reply
    • SPC 7.1
      21 November 2023 at 11:30 pm

      This may not mean what you think it does.

      Anyhoo – All of your post was rather pointless as the Israelis let the cat out of the bag over a month ago:

      IDF spokesperson R Adm Daniel Hagari made the startling admission that “hundreds of tons of bombs” had already been dropped on the tiny strip, adding that “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy”.

      The reason why they asked people of Gaza City to leave was because they were going to level the place (so as) to fight Hamas underground. That is, there would be no targeted bombing apart from not hitting the hospitals.

      Rome

      Some countries have signed but not ratified.

      Four signatory states—Israel in 2002, the United States 2002, Sudan on 26 August 2008, and Russia on 30 November 2016—have informed the UN Secretary General that they no longer intend to become states parties and, as such, have no legal obligations arising from their signature of the Statute.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome_Statute

      India and China have not signed.

      International humanitarian law requires all parties to a conflict to avoid locating, to the maximum extent feasible, military objectives within or near densely populated areas. Other obligations to protect civilians from the effects of attacks include removing civilians from the vicinity of military objectives and giving effective warning of attacks that may affect the civilian population.

      https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/08/ukraine-ukrainian-fighting-tactics-endanger-civilians/

      This covers most, if not all, issues.

      From warning people to leave before an area is bombed to expecting those that place an urban area under siege (war zone) to allow civilians to leave.

      https://www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/document/file_list/challenges-report_urbanization-of-armed-conflicts.pdf

      Reply
      • Cinder 7.1.1
        21 November 2023 at 11:43 pm

        Over a million people.

        In less than 24 hours.

        To an area the IDF were already bombing and shelling.

        Put down your crack pipe.

        Reply
      • lprent 7.1.2
        22 November 2023 at 8:45 am

        The reason why they asked people of Gaza City to leave was because they were going to level the place (so as) to fight Hamas underground. That is, there would be no targeted bombing apart from not hitting the hospitals.

        I guess that also explains why at least a third of the deaths have been inside the the Israeli designated 'safe areas'. The IDF appear to have been just using bombs, missiles, and artillery in a in discriminatory manner and making up stories about their targets afterwards – or at least that

        If what you assert if correct, then why there have there been many documented atrocities against civilians on the roads from the north to the south before the IDF sent troops in to cut the road. Even when there have been announced safe periods for evacuation from north to south, those appear to have just been guidelines on good times for the ill-disciplined IDF soldiers to perpetuate more atrocities against civilians on the evacuation roads.

        I could give you links, but I'm pretty sure that you could find them yourself once you remove your horse blinders…

        Reply
        • SPC 7.1.2.1
          22 November 2023 at 9:33 am

          Whatever.

          I am quite well aware of the apparent incoherence of asking people to move south and then bombing areas to the south.

          The fact remains, the large scale bombing of Gaza City did require the warning that they would need to leave. The bombing to the south was supposedly more targeted. As in earlier bombing of Gaza – but then as now, civilians have died.

          I have no idea what the policy is for strikes on targets on the roads (as per artillery or missiles), or direction to forces on the ground there to fight Hamas (as to identifying threats). Before, or after the designation of times and routes for safe passage. Others with more expertise can compare it to policy in the occupation of Iraq during the insurgency.

          Reply
  8. Tiger Mountain 8
    22 November 2023 at 7:12 am

    It is rather pointless playing quote ping pong with Israeli apologists. IDF/Israeli state are bent beyond belief. Back in 2014 their online troll farms were exposed, whereby 24/7, students in particular were paid for online propaganda activity.

    https://electronicintifada.net/content/inside-israels-million-dollar-troll-army/27566

    I was targeted for several weeks on social media by a small pack of them for criticising Gaza bombing on Facebook. When Lorde declined to play there, boy did they go off.

    So what is to be done is continue solidarity actions with Palestine–march, rally, protest, BDS, union trade bans, hit the Israeli state where it hurts–economically and culturally.
    Israeli businesses around the world need to be boycotted and politicians sent the message–stop backing the apartheid state and US Imperialism.

    The true nature of too many Israelis has been revealed over some years by photos of settlers sitting on sofas on ridges, on the piss, cheering on plane strikes on Gaza.

    “In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians!”
    –Roger Fowler, Kia Ora Gaza AO/NZ

    Reply
    • SPC 8.1
      22 November 2023 at 8:07 am

      Those people and those who do not join us in demonising them are the baddies.

      You would have been a great McCarthyist.

      Reply
      • lprent 8.1.1
        22 November 2023 at 8:51 am

        I think it is more about you simply not wanting to hear anything bad about Israeli techniques.

        So what do you think should happen in the south Levant aka Palestine to get rid of the mess that the UK and the UN left there in 1948.

        Currently I lean towards simply removing the state of Israel as being the main impediment to the continual warfare and the way that keeps spilling over into the rest of the region and world.

        Reply
        • SPC 8.1.1.1
          22 November 2023 at 9:01 am

          I think it is more about you simply not wanting to hear anything bad about Israeli techniques..

          So you have the same tendency to partisan portrayal of those you see as on another side.

          I would have thought it obvious that debating an issue indicates the opposite.

          So what do you think should happen in the south Levant aka Palestine to get rid of the mess that the UK and the UN left there in 1948.

          Currently I lean towards simply removing the state of Israel as being the main impediment to the continual warfare and the way that keeps spilling over into the rest of the region and world.

          I don't see the elimination of a state of Israel, or the prevention of a Palestinian state, as lawful in international law. Nor just.

          Reply
        • Tiger Mountain 8.1.1.2
          22 November 2023 at 9:33 am

          The proverbial in the room surely is the massive US financial support for the Israeli State & Military. If that were substantially cut or removed the behaviour of the IDF etc. would change, and quickly.
          https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2023-10-10/how-much-aid-does-the-u-s-give-to-israel

          The tipping point will likely be reached as in South Africa, after this slaughter fest.
          https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/11/16/apartheid-south-africa-reached-a-tipping-point-israel-will-too

          The answer has to be a one state country with equal rights for all–and while few would say that would be easy–what other path is there for some reasonable peace in the Mid East.

          Reply
        • Belladonna 8.1.1.3
          23 November 2023 at 5:03 pm

          Simply removing the state of Israel – and leaving the current population/s in place, will just continue war/terrorism/whatever label you want to apply. People will go on fighting and killing and terrorizing everyone on the 'other' side.

          If you are proposing to remove the Israeli population – where do you propose to send them?

          Have to say – most of the wars in the Middle East this century have had nothing to do with Israel.

          Reply
          • lprent 8.1.1.3.1
            26 November 2023 at 1:23 am

            Have to say – most of the wars in the Middle East this century have had nothing to do with Israel.

            Bullshit. Do you ever read anything? Most of the 21st century middle east conflicts all started from Al-Queda. That doctrinal base for that fell out from the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. But the occupation of Palestine by the state of Israel was the other extant example. Ummm. Name section in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda

            The doctrinal concept of "Al-Qaeda" was first coined by the Palestinian Islamist scholar and Jihadist leader Abdullah Azzam in an April 1988 issue of Al-Jihad magazine to describe a religiously committed vanguard of Muslims who wage armed Jihad globally to liberate oppressed Muslims from foreign invaders, establish sharia (Islamic law) across the Islamic World by overthrowing the ruling secular governments; and thus restore the past Islamic prowess. This was to be implemented by establishing an Islamic state that would nurture generations of Muslim soldiers that would perpetually attack United States and its allied governments in the Muslim World. Numerous historical models were cited by Azzam as successful examples of his call; starting from the early Muslim conquests of the 7th century to the recent anti-Soviet Afghan Jihad of 1980s

            IS ran on the same basic philosophy, so does Hamas, etc. Al-Queda specifically was opposed to the stationing of American bases in the Arabian near the holy cities after the first Gulf War.

            Partially the reason for that deployment was for the protection of the gulf states against Iraq.

            But mainly for US domestic reasons and concerns by Arab states about the aggression of Israel. It was also because of the Iraqi Scud missile campaign against Israel in the first Gulf war and the Israeli concerns about WMD programs in Iraq. The implicit security guarantee for Israel was that the US would be in a position to interdict development of WMD in Iraq by having bases in the Arabian peninsula, and that Israeli was to not provoke a another widespread war by preemptively attacking Iraq WMD sites.

            Because of that secular western military presence in the Arabian Peninsula, the whole reason for the the September 11th and earlier attacks was to provoke the US to attack a Muslin country using that organisational base. Which is what happened. That in turn triggered a instabilities of all the 21st century wars in the middle east.

            At the centre of the causative effect is the state of Israel and its inability to accommodate the Palestinian refugees that it deliberately created in 1948 and the occupied territories that it seized since.

            Right now it is mass killing Palestinian civilians in Gaza in what looks like purely collective punishment massacres, allowing its armed soldiers and settlers to kill and injure civilians in occupied areas without any consequences from law fro the same reason, attacking civilian infrastructure like community solar arrays in Lebabon for the same reason. Herding Palestinians into ghettos in Gaza and the WEst Bank to make it easier to murder civilians efficiently in military and settler pogroms (south Gaza and Hebron being obvious examples).

            The IDF and settlers appear to be using all of the possible techniques to perform ethnic cleansing and at the same times to further the cause of more extremist Palestinians groups.

            Basically Israel as a state can easily continue to be seen as the centre for trouble in the reason because of its behaviour. The rest of the world would have been be way safer without them colonising that region.

            People will go on fighting and killing and terrorizing everyone on the 'other' side.

            We won't know while the state of Israel refuses to deal equitably with the refugee and occupied communities that they deliberately created and control. About 20% of the Israeli state are Palestinians. That doesn't appear to be an issue apart from some of the the racist/religous inequality.

            Most of the Israeli internal terrorism is from extremist settler, extremist Zionist or religious Jewish nut-bars.

            Reply
  9. John 9
    23 November 2023 at 11:56 am

    One state with equal rights for all sounds sensible but is it realistic?

    Reply
    • Belladonna 9.1
      23 November 2023 at 5:05 pm

      Given the hatred and the totally incompatible bottom lines from the most extreme wings of both sides – I'd have to say it was entirely unrealistic.

      It doesn't matter how much international negotiation goes on, if there are substantial populations who are entirely prepared to ignore anything other than 'total' victory for their side.

      Reply
      • lprent 9.1.1
        26 November 2023 at 1:25 am

        Plus 40+ years of Israel refusing to deal with the mess that they created back in 1948 with their planned and executed forcing of a refugee ethnic cleansing campaign.

        Reply

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    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    13 hours ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    18 hours ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    20 hours ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    20 hours ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    20 hours ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    21 hours ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    23 hours ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    2 days ago

  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • NZ has a chance to rise again as our new government gets spending under control
    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    3 days ago

  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Cans of Worms.
    “And there’ll be no shortage of ‘events’ to test Luxon’s political skills. David Seymour wants a referendum on the Treaty. Winston wants a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Labour’s handling of the Covid crisis. Talk about cans of worms!”LAURIE AND LES were very fond of their local. It was nothing ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here’s how we can fight back
    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Misinformation is debated everywhere and has justifiably sparked concerns. It can polarise the public, reduce health-protective behaviours such as mask wearing and vaccination, and erode trust in science. Much of misinformation is spread not ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record.1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is not even an entry in Wikipedia. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago

  • The New Government: 2023 Edition
    So New Zealand has a brand-spanking new right-wing government. Not just any new government either. A formal majority coalition, of the sort last seen in 1996-1998 (our governmental arrangements for the past quarter of a century have been varying flavours of minority coalition or single-party minority, with great emphasis ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago

  • The unboxing
    And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the tree with its gold ribbon but can turn out to be nothing more than a big box holding a voucher for socks, so it ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • A cruel, vicious, nasty government
    So, after weeks of negotiations, we finally have a government, with a three-party cabinet and a time-sharing deputy PM arrangement. Newsroom's Marc Daalder has put the various coalition documents online, and I've been reading through them. A few things stand out: Luxon doesn't want to do any work, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Hurrah – we have a new government (National, ACT and New Zealand First commit “to deliver for al...
    Buzz from the Beehive Sorry, there has been  no fresh news on the government’s official website since the caretaker trade minister’s press statement about the European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement. But the capital is abuzz with news – and media comment is quickly flowing – after ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Christopher Luxon – NZ PM #42.
    Nothing says strong and stable like having your government announcement delayed by a day because one of your deputies wants to remind everyone, but mostly you, who wears the trousers. It was all a bit embarrassing yesterday with the parties descending on Wellington before pulling out of proceedings. There are ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Coalition Government details policies & ministers
    Winston Peters will be Deputy PM for the first half of the Coalition Government’s three-year term, with David Seymour being Deputy PM for the second half. Photo montage by Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: PM-Elect Christopher Luxon has announced the formation of a joint National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government with a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • “Old Coat” by Peter, Paul & Mary.
     THERE ARE SOME SONGS that seem to come from a place that is at once in and out of the world. Written by men and women who, for a brief moment, are granted access to that strange, collective compendium of human experience that comes from, and belongs to, all the ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Weekly Roundup 23-November-2023
    It’s Friday again! Maybe today we’ll finally have a government again. Roll into the weekend with some of the articles that caught our attention this week. And as always, feel free to add your links and observations in the comments. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s strategy for COP28 in Dubai
    The COP28 countdown is on. Over 100 world leaders are expected to attend this year’s UN Climate Change Conference in in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which starts next Thursday. Among the VIPs confirmed for the Dubai summit are the UK’s Rishi Sunak and Brazil’s Lula da Silva – along ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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