A new force has arisen to combat New Zealand’s ongoing complicity in crimes against the people of Palestine.

A political party named “Palestine Free From the River to the Sea” has been formed to contest the upcoming general election.

The party explicitly supports a single democratic state with equal rights for all from the river to the sea in the historic land of Palestine.

“We chose the party name to reflect our belief in freedom for all people,” says party President Paul Hopkinson, “but also to challenge the creeping fascism that seeks to silence our speech as a thought crime. Our party name itself is illegal in Queensland and Germany. They fear that the public will realise that we only ask that Palestinians have the same human rights that we all enjoy and our government claims to support.”

Aotearoa/New Zealand has a special responsibility to the Palestinian people as one of 33 nations to vote for the partition of Palestine in 1947. This precipitated the violent ethnic cleansing process known as the Nakba or Catastrophe. As a direct result, millions have lived for generations with statelessness, grinding poverty, dispossession, persecution, and untold acts of brutality that include torture and rape. Palestinians live constantly with the fear of sudden injury or death. Parents face the anguish of being unable to keep their children safe from harm.

Under UN Resolution 194, and the UN Refugee Convention, refugees (including descendents) have the right to return to Palestine. Aotearoa voted in favour of this.

“Our government has repeatedly sought to assuage its guilt by voting to uphold the law in the UN,” says Paul Hopkinson, “but it never lifts a finger to act. We pretend to have morals, but for nearly 80 years we have acted like cowards while a whole nation cries for simple justice.”

People who believe in human rights and people who believe that the government of Aotearoa must live up to its obligations are invited to visit the party website at palfree.nz. Those eligible to vote in New Zealand can join the party for a fee of $2.00.

The objectives and principles of Palestine Free From the River to the Sea are all described at https://palfree.nz. According to the website the aim is to: “Build a broad, democratic party that unites supporters of Palestine from all traditions, allowing different ideas and perspectives to be discussed in an environment of tolerance and respect.”

Home Page | Politics | Previous Story | Next Story

Copyright (c) Scoop Media