Israelis observe a house damaged by Gazan rocket fire
OPINION: Over the last decade or so there has been a noticeable increase in bias of the New Zealand government against Israel.
This despite New Zealand voting in favour of the 1947 UN Partition Plan. Whilst the slide in government opinion can arguably be traced back to the Clark government, it reached its peak on the world stage under the Bill English Government when spearheaded by then Foreign Minister Murray McCully’s desire to be the lap dog of Senator John Kerry and assist in the personal vendetta of President Barack Obama against Benjamin Netanyahu.
This led to New Zealand co-sponsoring the one-sided anti-Israel UN Security Council Resolution 2334 in December 2016.
I understand that there are at least five Palestinian groups lobbying our govt. What can we do to counter their lobbying and to be more effective ourselves? Anyone have any ideas?
Hi there
Just some suggestions:
* Develop a rapport with your local MP. Take them out for a coffee. Think about what your key messages are and if you are religious, how not to come across as a religious nutter.
* If you are in a university town, find out who is studying foreign relations and take them out for a coffee. Think about… [you know the rest]
* If you town or city has a local newspaper, find out who writes on foreign relations or about the Middle East and take them out for a coffee. Think about… [you know the rest!]