Green MP Keith Locke is inviting Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff to speak out against Israel's assault on the Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority.

"Last month in New York Mr Goff promised Yasser Arafat that New Zealand would do what it could to help the Palestinian people," said Mr Locke.

Over the last day there has been a massive Israeli assault on the offices of Yasser Arafat's administration, killing innocent bystanders and destroying buildings, helicopters and even an airport runway.

"This will solve nothing except fuel the anger among Palestinians," said Mr Locke. "and gain even more volunteers to act as suicide bombers.

"Phil Goff needs to speak out now. He said at the Labour Party conference that we must be prepared to 'tackle the causes of terrorism' and get a 'fair deal for Palestinians.'

"Is he staying silent because the Bush administration, in its 'war against terrorism' has given a green light to Sharon's iron-fisted response to the suicide bombings?"

"Sharon's air strikes against Palestinian leaders are no more an answer to terrorism than George Bush's against the Taleban.

"New Zealand should be leading the way in promoting peaceful solutions, such as an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza, and the formation of a Palestinian state," said Mr Locke.

Ends

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>