Palestine Soldarity Network 08.03.16

Palestine Soldarity Network 08.03.16

Janfrie Wakim, a spokesperson for the Palestine Solidarity Network says the government is failing in its international human rights obligations by signing a film production cooperation agreement with Israel.

The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Maggie Barry has announced an agreement with the government of Israel to cooperate on film production.

“This could not be a worse message to send to Israel” says Wakim. “Worldwide the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is isolating Israel to pressure it into conforming to international law on human rights, return of Palestinian refugees and withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

“The New Zealand government is going in the other direction. It’s putting money into an agreement to help Israeli propagandists sugarcoat the reality of Israeli racism and occupation. These are for films the Israeli government funds or approves.”

The Palestine Solidarity Network is most concerned that New Zealand is getting itself into an agreement that will make New Zealand a party to the continuing occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“In 2004 the International Court of Justice called on States Parties to the Geneva Conventions, such as New Zealand, to not do anything to assist the Israeli occupation. A New Zealand government to Israeli government agreement that places film makers in the Occupied Territories is condoning and legitimizing that occupation. New Zealand’s Superannuation Fund has disinvested from some Israeli companies which profit from the occupation. But now our government is undermining all of that.”

Wakim points to Israel’s demolishing an entire village in the West Bank as one recent example as to why New Zealand should be objecting to Israeli government actions, not collaborating with them.

She notes “The Israeli army destroyed all of Ein al-Rashash just last month so that Jewish settlers could replace the Palestinian inhabitants. These Palestinians were first made refugees in 1948 by Israel and now their homes have been destroyed again. They have nowhere to go in the middle of winter. The UN figures show Israel destroyed more Palestinian homes last month that for any month since it began keeping records in 2009. They do that so they can replace them with illegal Israeli settlements.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media