The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is telling Foreign Minister Winston Peters to ignore the bullying from pro-Israel Texas senator Ted Cruz and have the courage to stop welcoming Israel solders to New Zealand.

Winston Peters has claimed Israeli media stories that New Zealand has stopped Israeli military visiting New Zealand are false. Ted Cruz had quoted Israeli daily Ha’aretz in a tweet which says “It's difficult to treat New Zealand as a normal ally within the American alliance system, when they denigrate and punish Israeli citizens for defending themselves.”

PSNA chair John Minto says Peters should not buckle to a Trump-supporting senator who fully backs Israeli genocide.

“Ted Cruz believes Israel should continue defending land it has stolen from Palestinians. He supports every Israeli war crime. New Zealand must be different.

Last September New Zealand voted against the US at the United Nations where we sided with the majority of humanity to give Israel a year to fully get out of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

“So the New Zealand government has a completely different policy position to the US. That should be reflected in the actions of the New Zealand government. We must have an immigration ban on Israeli soldiers who have served in the Israeli military since October 2023 as well as a ban on any Israeli who lives in an illegal Israeli settlement on occupied Palestinian land.”

Minto says it is not clear what the current immigration rules are for different entry categories, but it does seem that some longer stay Israeli applicants are required to declare they have not committed human rights violations before they are allowed in.

“That’s what the Australians are doing. It appears ineffective at preventing Israeli troops having ‘genocide holidays’ in Australia – but it’s a start. We’d like to see a broader, effective, and watertight ban on Israeli troops coming here.”

“Instead of bowing to US pressure New Zealand should be joining the Hague group of countries, as proposed by the Palestine Forum of New Zealand, to take decisive action to prevent and punish Israeli war crimes.”

John Minto
National Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

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