The politics of Palestine

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, November 21st, 2023 - 34 comments
Categories: chris hipkins, International, israel, labour, Palestine, war - Tags:

Earlier this week the New Zealand Labour Party made a statement on Palestine and it was a good one.

Certainly much better than the positions adopted by its sister Labour parties overseas.

UK Labour has refused to call for a ceasefire although 56 Labour MPs defied the Party Whip and voted for calls for one to be included in the King’s speech.  And in Australia the ALP refuses to call for a cease fire although Albanese’s own Labor Branch passed resolutions calling for one and noting that Israel “has moved from that of defending itself, to acts of retribution on an innocent Palestinian population”.

I am pleased that New Zealand Labour decided to be more staunch and declare that the killing of innocent children and the bombing of hospitals and schools should not be tolerated.

From Radio New Zealand:

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying “the violence and the killing has to stop”.

He has stressed that he has made the announcement as Labour leader, not caretaker Prime Minister.

But Hipkins said it had become “untenable” for him to remain silent.

“It runs against Labour Party values to see the horrific scenes we are witnessing without calling for a ceasefire,” he said.

“Israel and Gaza need to immediately ensure that conditions for a ceasefire be met. We call on all parties to strive to restore calm and restraint.

“We remain very concerned about the humanitarian impact of the conflict.”

Hipkins has called on Israel to allow supplies to be delivered and for Hamas to free its hostages.

“Ultimately we want to see a just and lasting peace.

“The violence and the killing has to stop.”

National responded by agreeing with Labour but then accusing Labour of playing politics.  Again from RNZ:

“National supports the goal of a ceasefire, but acknowledges the conditions have not existed for one so far.

“On Friday afternoon the caretaker government approached National about calling for a ceasefire.

“In response, National asked to see MFAT advice on the matter – we provided feedback on that advice and indicated we were open to a discussion with Labour on it.

“National was then informed of the Labour leader’s statement four minutes before the press conference commenced.

“Given New Zealand’s long-standing bipartisan approach to foreign policy it is very disappointing that Chris Hipkins is playing politics with such a serious issue.

“If reports of a possible temporary ceasefire being close are correct, with hostage exchanges from both sides and humanitarian aid into Gaza, this is what New Zealand has consistently called for. It is hoped that any temporary ceasefire could last longer than five days and lead to peace talks,” National’s statement concluded.

I don’t understand how the statement could be considered to be political.  How many civilians need to be killed and how many hospitals need to be attacked before it is appropriate to do something?

Meanwhile there is talk about a brokered cease fire where some of the Israeli hostages will be released along with some Palestinian women and children who have been detained without trial.

And the battering of Gaza continues.

Al-Shifa, once Gaza’s main hospital, has stopped functioning as a medical facility and is now a “death zone” according to the World Health Organization.

Thirty-one “very sick” premature babies have been evacuated to Cairo.  At least eight others have died.

Food and power and fuel remain in short supply.

And the United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has labelled Israel’s activities in Gaza as a complete violation of all basic principles that international law establishes.

She was quoted in this Radio New Zealand article as follows:

“Let’s be clear: [Hamas’] killing civilians and taking civilian hostages are war crimes, and I’ve extended and continue to extend my deepest condolences to all communities affected.

“At the same time, what has happened in the occupied Palestinian territories – primarily in Gaza – is a complete violation of all basic principles that international law establishes.

“There have been over 12,000 people killed over a month now by Israeli bombs and military operations, 5000 of these are children, over 1.6 million people forcibly displaced, 30,000 Palestinians injured, and there is no measure to rescue them because Israel has also tightened its illegal blockade … a collective punishment on the 2.2 million people living in the Gaza strip, half of whom are children.

“Half of the civilian infrastructure has been destroyed, 40,000 homes and churches, mosques, entire residential buildings, refugee camps and schools, bakeries, universities, there’s very little to start, restart life after a ceasefire is declared.

“I’ve warned three times against the risk that Israel might be committing the crime of genocide in Gaza … there has been calls to flatten Gaza, to erase Gaza from Earth, and to kill the Gazans because they are ‘also responsible for what Hamas has done’ and there is no distinction here between civilians and militants.”

Presuming we have a government soon it will be interesting to see what position National and its allies take.  Anything short of a full throated demand for a ceasefire will be a totally inadequate statement.

34 comments on “The politics of Palestine ”

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  1. Bearded Git 1
    21 November 2023 at 12:30 pm

    Don't hold your breath on National taking a position similar to Labour and the Greens. Luxon will slavishly follow the USA. After all he speaks with an American accent at times.

    What gets up my nose is all the talk about the hostages-a diversionary tactic by the Israelis and USA. The focus should be on the thousands being murdered by Israel in Gaza, not on a couple of hundred hostages.

    (In any event the hostages would benefit from a ceasefire as they are in the firing line and would be more likely to be released if there was a permanent ceasefire.)

    • Corey 1.1
      21 November 2023 at 1:33 pm

      No, Luxon will slavishly follow China, it's mps routinely worship China and It's mp's are pro China on everything from military build up in the pacific to disturbingly, China's position on Taiwan both of which are far more relevant to this country.

      Jacinda Arderns Labour government moved us closer to the United States on foreign policy than any government in the last 40 years, so much so that Helen Clark and Co were constantly on social media bemoaning the loss of nzs independent foreign policy.

      Nationals official stance on Israel/Palestine will be for a two state solution which is nz's official stance and it will just call for humanitarian pauses.

      Our allies are freaking out about National being in government and hoping against hope that they make Peters foreign affairs minister rather than one of the China apologists in the national party.

      It's quite interesting that National is the pro communist China party and Labour is the pro western alliance party trying to divest us out of China, it's virtually the opposite globally, but the influence of mass immigration from China on NZ politics and party funding is quite worrying.

      • Wei 1.1.1
        21 November 2023 at 6:49 pm

        What on earth does China's position on Taiwan have to do with New Zealand? The 'position' on Taiwan has not changed for many decades, and after all, all Western countries accept the one-China policy and that includes NZ.

        You could perhaps explicate on China's so-called military "build up" in the Pacific? How does it compare to the US presence?

        The true monsters in the world are those who have massacred close to 20,000 innocent civilians in a month, half of them children, and that is encouraged and enabled by US, not Chinese, imperialism.

    • Terry 1.2
      21 November 2023 at 3:30 pm

      Israel are not murdering anyone. It’s the responsibility of the Palestinian regime in Gaza.

      Just like with WW2, both Germany and Japan continued to fight on until the bitter end, resulting in massive casualties of their own civilians and military. But there was no doubt that we needed to be rid of those regimes. They were solely responsible responsible for their deaths and the destruction of their respective countries.

      The Palestinian regime in Gaza is every bit as bad as the Germans an Japanese were during WW2.

      • Wei 1.2.1
        21 November 2023 at 6:51 pm

        In my own reading of history, it was Germany and Japan who were the aggressors in WW2

        Whereas the Palestinians have not invaded anyone else, do not have a proper standing army, and are for the most part refugees having been ethnically cleansed out of their original homeland.

        Big difference.

        • SPC 1.2.1.1
          21 November 2023 at 8:05 pm

          I would not say that the majority were now out of their homeland (not, if one included those displaced within historic Palestine).

          About 3M in the WB, 2M in Gaza and 1.5M in Israel.

          It's about half the total. The largest group of the others 2M in Jordan.

          The PCBS puts the total Palestinian population worldwide at 12.7 million, with over 1.5 million within Israel, 6 million in other Arab countries (primarily as refugees) and 700,000 in other countries (PCBS, 2017). As many as 5 million Palestinian refugees are eligible for UNRWA assistance, including 1.3 million in Gaza and around 800,000 in the West Bank. In addition there are around 335,000 Palestinians in Israel who, though they have Israeli citizenship, are unable to return to their homes. Over 2 million UNRWA-registered refugees reside in Jordan, 450,000 in Lebanon and 440,000 in Syria.

          https://minorityrights.org/country/palestine/

        • Terry 1.2.1.2
          22 November 2023 at 7:36 am

          Well the Palestinian regime in Gaza did start this latest round of violence. They did so in a manner that would make even the most hardened Nazi SS feel a sense of pride.

          If we go back in history the Palestinian leaders have refused to agree to the creation of Israel, and there has been fighting on and off for decades. The Israelis have always won these wars, even against all the odds. Historically those who win the wars keep or control the land.

          • Francesca 1.2.1.2.1
            22 November 2023 at 9:04 am

            What a load of crap.The Nazis were the powerful state killing a much smaller minority

            Israel is now that far more powerful state supported by the usual suspects of the west, hammering and slaughtering a much smaller and far less armed minority

            If Hamas manages with what little it has to respond to the constant attacks , that predate Oct 7th by many years, that makes them resourceful, not Nazi

          • tc 1.2.1.2.2
            22 November 2023 at 4:18 pm

            So hamas is the Palestinian regime in your world…..life's simple with sweeping generalisations like that.

      • Francesca 1.2.2
        22 November 2023 at 6:17 am

        Israelis aren't doing the killing?

        https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-ml-israel-army-032309-2009mar23-story.html

        The kind of mentality that allows soldiers to kill women and children

  2. Gabby 2
    21 November 2023 at 12:32 pm

    I suspect that Israel will not be satisfied with deep condolences, not even the deepest, and that they will pursue hamas until that body is no longer viable.

    • Muttonbird 2.1
      21 November 2023 at 8:39 pm

      Israel cannot bomb their way out of this. They will have to compromise at some point, or face decade upon decade upon decade of fear and instability.

    • SPC 2.2
      21 November 2023 at 8:51 pm

      Hamas has snookered BN, they were his pawn in de-legitimising Palestinian nationalism, so the occupied land settlement project could be fully rolled out. But if he cannot live with them, what happens to the 1977 Likud plan?

  3. SPC 3
    21 November 2023 at 2:28 pm

    “If reports of a possible temporary ceasefire being close are correct, with hostage exchanges from both sides and humanitarian aid into Gaza, this is what New Zealand has consistently called for. It is hoped that any temporary ceasefire could last longer than five days and lead to peace talks,” National’s statement concluded.

    Hapless.

    Peace talks involving whom – Hamas?

    Many nations designate Hamas a terrorist organisation and that includes New Zealand.

    https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senator-collins-bipartisan-group-urge-un-to-designate-hamas-as-a-terrorist-organization

    • Bearded Git 3.1
      21 November 2023 at 3:14 pm

      “If reports of a possible temporary ceasefire being close are correct, with hostage exchanges from both sides and humanitarian aid into Gaza, this is what New Zealand has consistently called for."

      Bollocks (as Wayne says). Pause bombing, send in aid and then start the bombing again. What good is that? A permanent ceasefire is what is needed.

      Meanwhile the illegal Israeli settlers on the occupied West Bank have taken opportunity to shoot at and intimidate Palestinians to make them leave their land during the Hamas-induced military crackdown there. The IDF just look away.

      “Sam Stein is a Jewish peace activist from Long Island who has spent years working in the West Bank and has physically inserted himself between extremist settlers and Palestinians. He said that all the recent violence was “not random acts of hatred. Instead, he said, it is a “guided approach” to create “Jewish continuity” in the West Bank. Jewish settlers are aided in this project by the fact that they are allowed to carry weapons and Palestinian civilians are not. ”

      https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/world/middleeast/west-bank-palestinians-israel-settlers.html

      • SPC 3.1.1
        21 November 2023 at 4:08 pm

        Meanwhile the illegal Israeli settlers on the occupied West Bank have taken opportunity to shoot at and intimidate Palestinians to make them leave their land during the Hamas-induced military crackdown there. The IDF just look away.

        It was already unofficial policy, it was formalised with the inclusion of a nationalist fascist group (created by Netanyahu for this purpose) in the latest government.

        The NSM a few years back now, when just an MK, walked into Hebron and attacked Arab street vendors while the IDF watched.

        He, the Finance Minister and Heritage Minister have become 3 impersonators of human beings (with power they have become gollums and are now the best ally of Hamas in their campaign to de-legitimise the state of Israel). Gantz made a mistake joining the unity government without requiring their removal.

        A permanent ceasefire is what is needed.

        They needed an offshore hospital ship off the coast and the ability to take people there weeks ago.

        They need(ed) to get the civilians out of Gaza City safely (provision of transport and times to do it safely).

        They need shelter, food and water (and medical supplies) in the south.

        The world should expect Hamas to return all the children and parents and the injured and old among the hostages as part of any 5 day cease-fire. Otherwise establish a means to verify the well-being of the other hostages.

    • Ghostwhowalks 3.2
      21 November 2023 at 4:46 pm

      "Many nations designate Hamas a terrorist organisation and that includes New Zealand."

      False . A fundamental misunderstanding my friend

      A check of the NZ list of designated terrorist entries does NOT find Hamas listed at all

      what you will find is :

      Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB)

      Also known as the Military wing of Hamas, Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades (EQB) or Izz al-Din Al-Qassem Brigades (IQB)

      Hamas or Islamic Resistance Movement (Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah) isnt designated at all

      https://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-community/counterterrorism/designated-entities/lists-associated-with-resolution-1373

    • Wei 3.3
      21 November 2023 at 7:11 pm

      Many countries do not, including Russia, China, and Iran.

      In fact most countries do not.

      If Hamas is a terrorist organisation, so much more must be the US military and IDF.

      • UncookedSelachimorpha 3.3.1
        22 November 2023 at 3:17 pm

        Bastions of international law and human rights, all. Their opinion on who is and isn't terrorist is worth very little, in my view.

        .

  4. GreenBus 4
    21 November 2023 at 5:20 pm

    Who will step in to stop the IDF murdering civilians? Anyone? Lots of talk but no doey!

    Those aircraft carrier battle groups are there for a reason. To stop anyone interfering with

    the IDF slaughter of Palestine. Who's gonna step up? Nobody's keen to take on the USA.

    So once again the finger is pointed at the great satan, they can stop it by stopping the support provided to IDF.

    At least that's how I see it.

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