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Embassy of Israel in Wellington – Gaza border

H.E. Ambassador Gerberg
Tuesday, 15 May 2018, 3:24 pm
Press Release: Embassy of Israel in Wellington

Press Release Embassy of Israel in Wellington – Gaza border

Make no mistakes – There is no valid connection between the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem and the weeks’ old Hamas-orchestrated violent confrontation campaign already taking place in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas, an internationally recognized terror organization (also by New Zealand), has ruled Gaza since 2007 and instead of caring for the welfare of the Gaza population, has invested in a large-scale terror infrastructure and has cynically fanned the flames of the conflict while initiating violent provocations against Israel.

Israel has the right and the duty to protect its sovereignty, its borders and its citizens. Accordingly, that message of self-defense has been conveyed to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Any imposed solution cannot work. The only path to reach a peaceful solution to this conflict is through direct negotiations.

End.

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NZFOI urges Hamas to withdraw from border

PRESS RELEASE

15 May 2018, Christchurch.  Today unconfirmed reports have been published stating that up to 58 people have been killed by Israeli Defence Forces as a Gazan crowd of protesters numbering several tens of thousands, stormed the border dividing Gaza from Israel.

NZ Friends of Israel is deeply saddened by the deaths of protestors, the pain it must cause their families and friends, and the waste of life this represents.

NZ Friends of Israel Association Inc calls upon Hamas to stop urging their supporters to tear down the security fence.  By doing so it is irresponsibly putting its people in harm’s way.

The security fence separates two societies that have a history characterised by acts of deadly violence towards one another.  Urging its tens of thousands of supporters to storm the security fence could only lead to a deadly result.

There have been reports that the protests are a direct result of the harsh conditions brought about by the Gaza Blockade currently maintained by Israel and Egypt.

This blockade was caused by the election of Hamas, an organisation that has publicly stated that the destruction of the State of Israel is its principal goal.  Hamas has also aligned itself with insurgents within Egypt, causing that country to join the blockade.

The preservation of life must take precedence therefore we urge Hamas to act quickly and withdraw its protestors from the immediate area of the border fence.

NZ Friends of Israel is a charity that fights racism and intolerance through raising awareness of Jewish history and culture.

ENDS

All enquiries may be directed to

Tony Kan 

President
NZ Friends of Israel Assoc Inc
Box 37 363
Halswell
Christchurch
New Zealand 8245

+64 (27) 433 9745
tony.kan@nzfoi.org
www.nzfoi.org

 

 

 

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→ 15 May 2018
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UN Security Council to meet over the deadliest day in Gaza since 2014 war | TVNZ

The UN Security Council plans to meet overnight NZT to discuss violence along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, following the deadliest day there since a 2014 war.

Kuwait called for the session after more than 50 Palestinians were killed and over 1,200 wounded by Israeli gunfire amid mass protests on Monday.
Israel said its troops were defending its border and accused Hamas militants of trying to attack under the cover of the protest.

It was not immediately clear what might come out of the council session. No joint statement or action followed a similar meeting after protests in March, and two UN diplomats said members couldn’t reach unanimous agreement on Monday on issuing a proposed statement circulated by Kuwait.

The draft statement, obtained by The Associated Press, would have expressed “outrage and sorrow” at the killings, sought an “independent and transparent investigation” and called on all sides to exercise restraint.

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Anti-Israel protesters and beeping box removed from Wellington movie screening by police | TVNZ

Police were forced to remove anti-Israel protesters from a film screening at the Doc Edge film festival in Wellington last night.

The police also removed a beeping black box that was chained to a seat to disrupt the screening of Ben Guiron, Epilogue, a documentary about former Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, Newsroom reports.

Peace Action Wellington claimed the documentary, which they described as “Zionist propaganda,” breached the cultural boycott of Israel and wanted it removed from the festival.

“This is state-sponsored propaganda the festival are planning to screen at the expense of people living under a brutal and illegal occupation,” spokesperson Alex Davies said.

They also claimed that funding from the Israeli embassy for the documentary made the festival complicit with the Israeli government.

The fact that the movie was screened on the eve of the anniversary of Israel declaring its independence in 1948 also aggravated protestors. Palestinians refer to May 15 as the “Nakba” or “catastrophe”.

Doc Edge organisers said the demand for the film to be withdrawn were an affront to freedom of speech, adding that the they and the government were not part of a cultural boycott.

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Hamas organizers urge protesters to storm fence, 52 dead | NZ Herald

Israeli soldiers on Monday killed 52 Palestinians demonstrating along the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip and wounded more than 2,400 in the bloodiest day in the enclave since the 2014 war with Israel, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

An estimated 35,000 Palestinians gathered on the edges of Gaza as the U.S. Embassy opened in Jerusalem, fanning out along the fence in the largest demonstrations yet.

At a gathering point east of Gaza City, organisers urged demonstrators to burst through the fence, telling them Israeli soldiers were fleeing their positions, even as they were reinforcing them.

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→ 14 May 2018
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COLUMN ONE: Netanyahu’s finest hour | Jerusalem Post

At the start of his cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Donald Trump discussed his announcement Tuesday afternoon that he is removing the US from his predecessor Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran and reinstating the nuclear sanctions that were suspended with the deal’s implementation in January 2016.

European and other international leaders responded angrily to Trump’s move. The EU’s foreign policy commissioner Federica Mogherini was downright indignant.

Apparently unaware that the US is a more important EU ally than Iran, Mogherini insisted, “The European Union is determined to preserve it. Together with the rest of the international community, we will preserve this nuclear deal.”

The liberal US media outlets were also aghast. Commentators joined the chorus of former Obama administration officials condemning Trump and insisting his move will isolate the US from the international community.

Trump brushed off his critics by noting, “You saw [Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu get up yesterday and talk so favorably about what we did.”

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By Caroline Glick

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→ 13 May 2018
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Zionists clash with pro-Palestine group at Israeli celebration in Auckland | Newshub

Clashes were expected at an event on Sunday celebrating the 70th anniversary of the formation of Israel, but protesters kept their word and remained peaceful.

Around 80 people gathered at Silo Park in Auckland celebrating the day, and around 15 Auckland Peace Action protesters turned up carrying a Palestine banner.

The protestors were held back by a line of police to prevent any conflict.

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→ 9 May 2018
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Trump announces decision to “withdraw” from Iran nuclear deal | CBS

President Trump rolled out his much-anticipated decision to “withdraw” from the Iran nuclear deal, in keeping with a longtime campaign promise. The president claimed Tuesday that there is Israeli intelligence proving Iran is not in compliance with the agreement.

Mr. Trump said he fears the 2015 deal will allow the Iranian regime to amass nuclear weapons.

“In just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons,” Mr. Trump said from the White House Diplomatic Room. “Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.”

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→ 8 May 2018
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Road signs pointing to ‘US Embassy’ go up in Jerusalem | NZ Herald

JERUSALEM (AP) — Jerusalem’s city hall says it has put up road signs pointing to the new U.S. Embassy, which is set to move to the contested city next week.
Mayor Nir Barkat placed the first signs on Monday in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood where the embassy is to be located. According to a picture sent by Barkat’s office, the white signs read “U.S. Embassy” in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

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→ 8 May 2018
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Hizbollah gains power in Lebanon’s first election in nearly a decade | NZ Herald

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah

Lebanon’s Hizbollah paramilitary movement emerged as the main victor in the country’s first election in almost a decade, securing veto power in the Lebanese Parliament as the prime minister’s fortunes fell.

Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said Iran-backed Hizbollah and its parliamentary allies won more than a third of the 128 seats, which would leave them as a dominant force in the Lebanese legislature.

The party of Sunni Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri lost a third of its seats, although he was expected to retain his position. Machnouk said a final breakdown of the nationwide results would be released later.

The vote – the first of its kind in nine years – had been hotly anticipated. Television stations aired extensive coverage, and billboards of the candidates’ faces loomed high above the streets of Beirut.

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