PALESTINE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN MEDIA RELEASE - New Zealand must act NOW in defence of justice and international law.

NEWS MEDIA RELEASE

January 4, 2009

PALESTINE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

www. palestine.org.nz

The Palestine Human Rights Campaign (PHRC) is appalled by the reluctance of Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully to 'take sides' concerning Israel's blitz on, and invasion of, the Gaza Strip. New Zealand Parliamentarians must follow the lead of their counterparts in the UK, including Conservative MPs, at least 60 of whom signed a press release condemning Israel's continuing massive military strikes on Gaza. The MPs described Israel's actions as “. . . an outrage that the international community must not allow to continue.” The Parliamentarians called on the international community, and especially the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to intervene to stop the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, Richard A. Falk, summarised Israel's war crimes in the Gaza Strip as follows:

Collective punishment - the entire 1.5 million people who live in the crowded Gaza Strip are being punished for the actions of a few militants.

Targeting civilians - the air strikes were aimed at civilian areas in one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Disproportionate military response - the air strikes have not only destroyed every police and security office of Gaza's elected government, but have killed and injured hundreds of civilians many of them very young children.

What New Zealanders and the world require from their elected representatives is leadership and a forthright statement of principle.

Spokesperson, Tuma Hazou, appeals to the New Zealand Government to “take the side of international humanitarian law, countless UN Resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention.” He says, “it would be a radical reversal of foreign policy were a New Zealand Government to fail in its support for these hard-won principles.” Now that a ground assault has begun, casualties and willful destruction will escalate. Our government must join with others and insist on an immediate ceasefire.

The PHRC calls for support to

· stop Israeli massacre of Palestinians

· boycott everything Israeli until Israel stops committing war crimes

· Stop New Zealand’s tacit support for Israeli war crimes

New Zealand must act NOW in defence of justice and international law.

ENDS

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