APCentrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran.
OPINION by Donna Miles-Mojab, Dominion Post & The Press, 19 April 2021
The murky world of sabotage, assassinations and espionage might appear exciting in James Bond movies but, in real life, they are a source of escalating violence and perpetual shadow wars.
Take the recent attack at Natanz nuclear facility in Iran, where an Israeli sabotage caused a complete blackout and extensive damage to key facilities.
Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, vowed Iran would “take revenge” for what he said was “nuclear terrorism”.
The Israeli army has revealed a plan including simultaneous attacks on hundreds of targets in Gaza based on a prepared bank of targets, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported on Friday.
An alarming video documentary on the violation of the right of clean water for Palestinians under Israeli colonial occupation. Video presented by Osama Nazzel for Palestinian Broadcast International, 15 April 2021.
UNRWA employees wear face masks outside a UN clinic in Deir El-Balah, in the center of the Gaza Strip, on April 3, 2021. (Photo: Ashraf Amra/APA Images)
By Yumna Patel, Mondoweiss, 14 April 2021
Palestinians are recording higher daily rates of new coronavirus cases and COVID-19 related deaths every day, as the “third wave” of the virus continues to spread rapidly across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health recorded 2,593 new cases of the virus in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, the majority of which were recorded in the latter.
The MOH also recorded 21 new COVID-19 related deaths, one of the highest daily death rates for Palestine since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Sustained collective efforts at holding HP (Hewlett-Packard) companies to account and pressuring them to end their ties with apartheid Israel have achieved many milestones. BDS (Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions) pressure is working! Help give HP companies a final push to cut their ties of complicity that sustain Israel’s regime of apartheid, settler-colonialism and occupation against Palestinians.
The US will resume economic and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians, providing a total of $235 million, the State Department announced on Wednesday.
The department said that $75 million would be allocated to “economic and development assistance in the West Bank and Gaza.” Another $10 million would go to “peacebuilding programs.”
Washington will restore $150 million to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees. That figure represents less than half of the annual funding the US sent to UNRWA before the Trump administration eliminated support to the agency in 2018.
Media Release 10 April 2021 Trading military equipment with Israel is a human rights outrage
Revelations that foreign affairs officials have approved the sale of military equipment to a host of human-rights-abusing countries, including Israel, is an outrage.
In recent years foreign affairs has been dominated by trade priorities with concerns for human rights sidelined. Senior foreign affairs staff at all levels have advised successive ministers of foreign affairs to prioritise trade above everything else.
The tragic outcome was seen in last night’s television one story. [See link below]
In Israel’s case the situation is even more galling because New Zealand has also been importing military equipment from Israel which has been “battle-tested” on the civilian Palestinian population.
The question that must be asked: What are the possible future scenarios for the ICC probe in Palestine?
Gambian war crimes lawyer Fatou Bensouda takes the oath during a swearing-in ceremony as the International Criminal Court’s new chief prosecutor in The Hague, on June 15, 2012. [Photo: Bas Czerwinski, ANP/AFP via Getty Images]
On March 22, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, declared that “the time has come to stop Israel’s blatant impunity”. His remarks were included in a letter sent to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and other top officials at the international body.
There is modest – albeit cautious – optimism among Palestinians that Israeli officials could potentially be held accountable for war crimes and other human rights violations in Palestine. The reason behind this optimism is a recent decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to pursue its investigation of alleged war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Puma claims it doesn’t support illegal Israeli settlements, but Puma’s logo is on official Israel Football Association map of settlement teams (see above image)
Puma claims it doesn’t support teams in illegal Israeli settlements.
False!
Puma sponsors the Israel Football Association (IFA). The IFA not only includes teams in illegal Israeli settlements on stolen Palestinian land, it actively advocates to maintain them.
Puma’s logo is directly under an official map of settlement teams and pitches on the IFA website.
Puma can’t deny the obvious. Tweet Puma this virtual tour of its support for Israel’s illegal land grabs.
Puma only makes these false statements because it is under pressure from the growing #BoycottPuma campaign.
Puma cares deeply about its image as a supposed corporate champion of social justice.
On Palestinian Land Day, and every day, tell Puma it can’t support universal equality while sponsoring Israeli apartheid.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa has called on Netball New Zealand to end their sponsorship deal with PUMA until PUMA ends its support for the IFA.
The Silver Ferns represent the best values associated with womens’ sport – high skill levels associated with tenacity, courage and commitment on the netball court.
This campaign is asking that they show the same character and values off the court – standing with Palestinian sportspeople who face apartheid in sports as awful as that faced by black South Africans suffering under apartheid.
Many of the delegates attending the 2021 national conference of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa held a spontaneous rally to commemorate Palestinian Land Day on the streets of Auckland yesterday.
Land Day symbolizes Palestinian resistance to Israel’s ongoing land expropriation, colonization, occupation and apartheid.
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during a demonstration in the northern occupied West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced.
Inspirational speakers include Annette Sykes, Maori human rights lawyer, and Haneen Zoabi, Palestinian Israeli activist and former MP in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) via Zoom.
VENUE: Grey Lynn Library Hall, 474 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland.
A Palestinian MP said on Tuesday that Rachel Corrie’s blood is a “witness to Israeli crimes”.
Huda Naim made her comment in a statement issued on the anniversary of the death of the US-born pro-Palestine activist, who was killed on March 16, 2003, as she was trying to stop an Israeli bulldozer demolishing Palestinian homes in Rafah.
“The blood of freedom fighter Rachel Corrie will remain Israel’s shame,” said Naim. “The [Israeli] occupation violated human rights and international law by killing Corrie.”
She added that the relative lack of condemnation of the “Israeli criminals” and the absence of any sanctions or punishment gave them a green light to commit more crimes.
“Rachel Corrie demonstrated the highest meaning of humanity by her defense of Palestinian rights,” the MP pointed out. “The Palestinians will always remember her activism, her resistance and her sacrifice at the hands of the Zionist killing machine.”
She called for those responsible for killing 23-year-old Corrie to be prosecuted as “war criminals”.
Music legends Brian Eno and Roger Waters discuss the concept of apartheid when it comes to Israel as well as the attempts to criminalize the BDS movement both in the UK and in the US.
They also address the recent declaration of the International Criminal Court in regards to Israel/Palestine.
With British solicitor and founder of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights Daniel Machover and Diala Shamas, Staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights. Conversation hosted by Frank Barat.
Famed musician Roger Waters of Pink Floyd issued a video appeal (above) to Stevie Wonder, urging him to reject the Israeli Wolf Prize and say no to Israeli apartheid.
Waters’ appeal came as over 700 organizations, artists and individuals around the world joined the US Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel’s appeal to Wonder, urging him to “Say No to this “Prize”, say No to the normalization of Israeli Apartheid, and stand with Justice, Equality and Freedom for all Palestinian people.” Both appeals recalled that Wonder declined to perform at a fundraiser for the “Friends of the IDF” in 2012 as well as his long history in standing against apartheid in South Africa.
The appeal was signed by a diverse group of supporters, including visual artist Samia Halaby, graphic artist and Black Panther veteran Emory Douglas, composer Raymond Deane, artist Freda Guttman and songwriter Dave Lippmann. A wide range of organizations endorsed the call, including the Canadian BDS Coalition, the South Africa BDS Coalition, South African Jews for a Free Palestine, and Boycott from Within, the alliance of Israeli citizens for BDS.
In #Gaza, even something as simple as fishing is dangerous business. In this video, we tell the story of how Israel’s illegal blockade has impacted one fishing family in Gaza. And their fate is far from unique. Thanks to video producer, Rakan Abed El Rahman.
Israeli occupation forces today detained five Palestinian children between the ages of 7 and 11, including three brothers, while they were picking akoub (wild vegetables) in the Masafer Yatta area, near Hebron (Al-Khalil).
The five children were first chased away by Jewish settlers from the land where they were picking the plant that is used as meals in the Palestinian kitchen before calling the army who detained the five children.
The children were taken to a police station in the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba.
Book review by Lois Griffiths, The Daily Blog, 11 March 2021
These Chains Will Be Broken by Ramzy Baroud, is a collection of narratives by some of the many Palestinians, men, women and children who have been held in Israeli prisons.
John Pilger tells us , “With each story, there is a roll-call of the best of humanity: courage, struggle, determination, generosity, passion , humility and above all defiance of injustice.”
The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS), a local NGO which advocates for the rights of the Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails, said today that the Israeli authorities are currently incarcerating 35 female Palestinian prisoners, 11 of whom are mothers.
The PPS said in a statement on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, which coincides on March 8, that 26 of the female political prisoners in Israeli detention have been sentenced for varying periods, the longest of whom are Shurooq Dwayyat and Shatila Abu Ayyad, who are serving a jail sentence of 16 years each.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, today announced that her office will open a formal investigation into war crimes in Palestine.
“Today, I confirm the initiation by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court of an investigation respecting the Situation in Palestine. The investigation will cover crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court that are alleged to have been committed in the Situation since 13 June 2014, the date to which reference is made in the Referral of the Situation to my Office,” read a statement by Bensouda’s Office that was made available to international media and received by The Palestine Chronicle.
“How the Office will set priorities concerning the investigation will be determined in due time, in light of the operational challenges we confront from the pandemic, the limited resources we have available to us, and our current heavy workload. Such challenges, however, as daunting and complex as they are, cannot divert us from ultimately discharging the responsibilities that the Rome Statute places upon the Office.”
“On the basis of our deliberations, we knew that one issue we would need to have resolved related to the territorial scope of the Court’s jurisdiction in the Situation in Palestine. For this reason, we took, as a responsible prosecuting Office, the preliminary step of seeking a ruling on the question, because it was important for us to obtain clarity on it at the outset, so as to chart the course of any future investigation on a sound and judicially tested foundation.”
Kia Ora Gaza is a New Zealand network dedicated to support international efforts to break the inhumane and illegal Israeli siege and naval blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian aid, fostering fraternal relations, enhancing understanding of Palestine and the Middle East, and cooperating with others who have similar aims.
Kia Ora Gaza promotes human rights, and solidarity for the people of Palestine and their struggle for justice, peace and freedom.
Our website and facebook pages underscore and promote these goals, however posts do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Kia Ora Gaza or our partners.
All forms of racism and discrimination are the antithesis of justice, peace and freedom. Kia Ora Gaza social media will not tolerate any act or discourse which adopts or promotes, among others: racism, anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, sexism, xenophobia, or homophobia.
Kia Ora Gaza is a member of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition - website: freedomflotilla.org and part of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa. Website: www.PSNA.nz
Postal address: Kia Ora Gaza, PO Box 86022, Mangere East, Auckland, New Zealand 2158.
KIA ORA GAZA PROJECTS
Kia Ora Gaza was established from a series of public meetings to organise Kiwi participation in international efforts to end the siege of Gaza & promote practical solidarity for Palestine. This followed the Israeli commando raid on the Mavi Mamara-led peace flotilla in international waters in 2010 which resulted in the deaths of 10 civilian peace activists. Since then Kia Ora Gaza has organised or supported the following projects: 1. Sent a team of 6 Kiwis on the 140-vehicle Viva Palestina international land convoy in 2010, driving and donating 3 ambulances to Gaza – part of the $7million medical aid delivered.
2. Supported Kiwi participant Harmeet Sooden to join the Canadian boat, Tahrir on Freedom Flotilla 2 to Gaza in 2011. 3. Sent a team of 4 Kiwis on the “Miles of Smiles” land convoy to Gaza with 10 tonnes of medical aid, 20124. Sent a fact-finding mission for www.kiaoragaza.net to Gaza Nov, 2012 5. Sent donations for food relief following the 2014 floods in Gaza 6. Co-organised nation-wide protests each weekend during Israel’s 50-day bombardment of Gaza in 2014 7. Transferred $25,000 to Gaza for urgent medical aid via Palestinian International Medical Aid in July 2014. 8. Sponsored an education project training young Palestinian journalists in Gaza 2015 9. Facilitated “NZ-Gaza twinning agreements” with a sports club and community centre in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza. 10. Co-sponsored 2 ambulances for Doctors Worldwide rehabilitation centre in Khan Younis (Israeli bombing in 2014 destroyed 26 ambulances in Gaza) 11. Maintains website: kiaoragaza.net and facebook pages. 12. Co-hosted the NZ Conference on Palestine, 2013 and 2016 13. Facilitated 2 Maori TV journalists on board the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza in 2015 14. Co-hosted NZ speaking tours including: – Harry Fear (UK doco-maker) & Roger Fowler (Kia Ora Gaza) in 2013
– Jeff Halper (Director, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) 2013
– Miko Peled (author) 2013
– Yousef Aljamal (Palestinian commentator) 2013
– Amira Hass (Israeli Journalist, Haaretz) 2015
– Samah Sabawi (Palestinian Writer) 2015
– Emad Burnat (Palestinian Film-maker) 2016
– Ali Abunimah (founder Electronic Intifada) 2016
– Rafeef Ziadah (Palestinian poet) April 2017
– Gideon Levy (Israeli journalist) 2017
– Huwaida Arraf (Palestinian lawyer) and Justine Sachs. 2018
-Dr Ramzy Baroud (US/Palestinian author) 2018
– Dr Salman Abu-Sitta (Palestinian author) 2019
15. Aug 2016 co-hosted special Auckland screening of Emad Burnat’s documentary ‘5 Broken Cameras’
16. Sept 2016. Transferred $6000 raised in our appeal to Palestinian doco-maker Emad Burnat towards a new camera.
17. Sept 2016 facilitated Green MP Marama Davidson to join Women’s Boat to Gaza peace flotilla.
18. Feb 2017 co-hosted film screening event: “The Idol”
19. April 2017, co-hosted three-city NZ tour with Palestinian performance poet Rafeef Ziadah and musician Phil Monsour.
20. May 2017 ‘Salt Water Challenge’ solidarity actions with Palestinian hunger strikers.
21. May 2017 transferred $1000 donation to Al Ahli Sports club in Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Gaza for football equipment. 22. July 2017 transferred our EURO1000 share to the FFC Gaza fishers project via MyCare Humanitarian Care Malaysia. 23. July 2017 transferred $1000 donation to Al Ahli Sports Club, Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Gaza. 24. Sept 2017 the Freedom Flotilla Coalition delivered fishing equipment as solidarity aid to 400 Gazan fishers via MyCare, Malaysia. 25. Kia Ora Gaza co-hosted a public lecture in Auckland on 3 December 2017, by renowned Haaretz journalist and writer, Gideon Levy. 26. January 2018, Kia Ora Gaza organiser, Roger Fowler, attends the Freedom Flotilla Coalition conference in Sweden to plan the 2018 international flotilla to break the illegal blockade of Gaza. 27. Co-organised Nationwide ‘Day of Action’ for Free Palestine on Sat 3 February 2018 demanding the release of all children held in Israeli prisons. 28. Co-hosted a public meeting at Auckland Uni with US/Palestinian writer Huwaida Arraf and Justine Sachs from Dayenu: NZ Jews against Occupation, March 2018. 29. Co-organised Auckland rallies in support of Palestinian March of Return, from April 2018. 30. Co-organised a five-city speaking tour with acclaimed US/Palestinian author, Dr Ramzy Baroud. May 2018. 31. Facilitated NZ participation in the 2018 Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. Selected veteran human rights campaigner and union leader, Mike Treen to represent NZ. Co-organised NZ speaking tour with Mike Treen. 2018.
CURRENT APPEALS
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is organising another international peace flotilla to challenge Israel's illegal 13 year naval blockade of Gaza and for a just future for Palestine - after the Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions have been lifted.For updates visit the FFC facebook page and website: freedomflotilla.org You can support NZ participation in this project by checking the options in the 'How to donate to Kia Ora Gaza' segment below.Appeal target: $40,000 to cover costs of our share of the purchase and upgrade of the flotilla boats, airfares and accommodation for our NZ participant.
HOW TO DONATE TO KIA ORA GAZA
Make a direct payment to our bank account: Kia Ora Gaza Trust, 03-0211-0447718-000, Westpac Bank, Onehunga branch. Afterwards, email office@kiaoragaza.net with your deposit details so our Board of Trustees can send you an e-receipt.
Write a cheque for ‘Kia Ora Gaza’ and post to: Kia Ora Gaza Trust, P.O. Box 86022, Mangere East, Auckland 2158
Kia Ora Gaza is a Charitable Trust incorporated under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957. Registration number 2540065 However we are not registered with IRD for tax deduction purposes, as Kia Ora Gaza is deemed to be mainly an advocacy group.
FREEDOM FLOTILLA TO GAZA: DOCUMENTARY
A MaoriTV media team of senior journalist Ruwani Perera and award-winning, free-lance camera operator Jacob Bryant, returned home from reporting on the 2015 Freedom Flotilla III attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.
Facilitated by Kia Ora Gaza, the Native Affairs team joined other international journalists on the board the flotilla to observe and document the mission.
Thanks to all those who generously supported the Flotilla project.
Over 100,000 Palestinians were injured and over 2,100 killed during Israel’s 2014 genocidal onslaught. Their illegal siege on Gaza left the medical services without basic supplies.
Kia Ora Gaza Trust launched an urgent appeal for funds towards humanitarian relief in war-ravaged Gaza.
Kia Ora Gaza co-sponsored two ambulances for Gaza in 2015.
Kia Ora Gaza also donated three ambulances packed with medical aid during the 'Lifeline to Gaza' international convoy in 2010.
VIDEO: The manager of the Doctors World Wide Turkey services in Gaza, Mohammed Alkhatib, thanks Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) and Kia Ora Gaza donors for jointly sponsoring two new ambulances at their Khan Younis rehabilitation clinic. The video also shows the recently delivered ambulances in service. (Video by DWWT 21 October 2015.) CLICK HERE
Roger Fowler teaching Kiwi-English at Al Aqsa University, Gaza City.
COMING EVENTS
Kia Ora Gaza is planning future speaking tours & other events, in cooperation with Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa and PHRC. Watch this space.
Please note that the planned 2020 Freedom Flotilla to Gaza has been postponed until further notice due to the current Covid-19 global pandemic.
In June 2012, Kia Ora Gaza sent a four-person team to Gaza as part of an international aid convoy. Our Kiwi convoyers were (from left) Roger Fowler, Tali Williams, Gibran Janif and Hone Fowler. This land convoy, which left from Cairo, delivered ten tonnes of urgently needed medical supplies to health authorities in Gaza. In November 2012 Kia Ora Gaza sent Roger Fowler on a fact-finding mission to Gaza (see his reports posted Nov-Dec 2012 on this website). UK documentary-maker Harry Fear joined Roger on a speaking tour of NZ on his return.
In November 2010, six volunteers from Kia Ora Gaza joined an international land convoy which delivered NZ$7 million in medical aid to Gaza. The convoy, which left from London and was joined by other columns from North Africa and the Middle East, arrived at night in Gaza City to a rapturous welcome from Palestinian throngs.
Our fallen heros
We remember the ten humanitarians on board the Gaza aid vessel Mavi Marmara killed by Israeli commandos on 31 May 2010:
Ibrahim Bilgen
Ali Haydar Bengi
Cevdet Kiliçlar
Çetin Topçuoglu
Necdet Yildirim
Fahri Yaldiz
Cengiz Songür
Cengiz Akyüz
Furkan Dogan
Ugur Suleyman Soylemez
by Grant Morgan retiring chair of Kia Ora Gaza 18 February 2013 After two-and-a-half years as Kia Ora Gaza’s chair and website editor, I retired from those roles at our leadership forum last weekend. The reason? Over the past half-dozen years I have researched, written and spoken about how global capitalism is in overshoot […]
by Roger Fowler new chair of Kia Ora Gaza 18 February 2013 Last Saturday, at a leadership forum of Kia Ora Gaza, Grant Morgan stood down as chair of our solidarity network and editor of our website kiaoragaza.net. His departure had been well flagged over the past 12 months. Grant has been busy with […]
Al Jazeera, 29 November 2012. Nicole Johnston reports from Ramallah. Euro News, 29 November 2012. by Ewen MacAskill at the UN & Chris McGreal in Ramallah The Guardian 29 November 2012 The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to recognise Palestine as a state, in the face of opposition from Israel and the […]
by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed Le Monde Diplomatique 28 November 2012 It is clear that without an overall military operation to uproot Hamas control of Gaza, no drilling work can take place without the consent of the radical Islamic movement. Moshe Ya’alon, Israeli deputy prime minister and minister of strategic affairs, 2007. Over the […]