Life for Palestinians under Israeli military occupation

Those who rely on our mainstream news media or television and radio news for international affairs reporting would be unaware that, in the 24 hours to 18 June 2012, Palestinians were the victims of the following acts of Israeli aggression:

Zionist terrorist shoots dead two West Bank villagers
Occupation settlers set fire to Palestinian crops
Rafah: woman and child among Israeli air strike casualties
Repeated Israeli Navy harassment of Beit Lahia and Khan Yunis fishermen – including hijacking
Israeli Navy opens fire on Rafah fishing boats
Night peace disruption and/or home invasions in refugee camp and 10 towns and villages
2 air strikes – 9 attacks – 20 raids including home invasions
2 dead – 7 injured – 12 acts of agricultural/economic sabotage

10 taken prisoner – 10 detained – 107 restrictions of movement

With no reports available from 15 June to 17 June 2012, the last missile reported to have been fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel was on 7 June 2012. A number were also launched on 6 June 2012 – the first missile launches of the month.

There were no missiles launched in the 24 hours referred to in the above report. Continual home invasions, many carried out at dead of night, terrorise a population that struggles to survive economically due to repeated sabotage, including arson attacks, by Israeli troops and settlers on Palestinian farmland and irrigation infrastructure. Olive trees are uprooted on a daily basis and Palestinian fishing boats are restricted to an over-fished three-miles from the Gaza shore fishing zone. On top of this, Palestinians have to cope with house demolitions and roads blocked by Israeli Occupation forces that severely hamper the transport of agricultural produce and the movement of people and other goods.

Prime Minister John Key has not replied to the Palestine Human Rights Campaign request for the reason for his assertion that New Zealand could “learn a lot from Israel” and Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully still has not explained to us why he thinks Israel is a worthy member of the OECD. It is difficult to believe that the OECD would find deliberate agricultural and economic sabotage acceptable. However, the merciless daily (and nightly) persecution continues as Israel pursues its objectives with impunity and in full view of the international community. If our news media were to bother to report what is going on day by day in Israeli-occupied Palestine, public opinion would demand an end to the silent acquiescence of our politicians. Every informed citizen should demand to know the reason for the news media silence over such gross manifestations of inhumanity.

Leslie Bravery 19 June 2012
Palestine Human Rights Campaign www.palestine.org.nz

© Scoop Media

World Refugee Day:
Are We Doing Our Bit?

On World Refugee Day, Thursday June 20th, Doing Our Bit will officially launch a campaign to double New Zealand’s UNHCR Refugee Resettlement Quota...

New Zealand’s low refugee intake is not a new issue. In February a NZ Herald editorial commented that our intake was ‘paltry’, remarking that ‘surely we could do more’. In April, Amnesty International described the quota as ‘tiny'.

“Despite being a small country in the middle of the South Pacific, New Zealand prides itself on being hospitable. We are friendly to overseas visitors and we see ourselves as punching above our weight in international affairs,” said Murdoch Stephens, coordinator of Doing Our Bit.

“However, in terms of accepting refugees New Zealand is clearly not doing our share.” More>>