FIANZ applauds all initiatives in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally which strive for peace, human rights and social justice. These values reflect some of the bedrock principles of our faith.

By participating in the Harmony initiative, FIANZ recognises the need to address the rapidly growing Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in our country. The initiative reflects our commitment to achieving social cohesion in New Zealand.

No Accord can sanitise the impact of the on-going genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. No nation should remain silent when there is a humanitarian tragedy of mass starvation and indiscriminate killing of Palestinians who seek food from aid-depots. We acknowledge that the NZ government has spoken out and condemned this inhumane approach. FIANZ will continue to raise awareness that such gross violations of basic humanitarian principles have been exacerbated by the over seventy-five years of illegal occupation and the imposition of an apartheid system on the Palestinian people.

The systematic displacement of Palestinians (both Muslims and Christians) in the West Bank by Israeli settler violence is part of the ongoing, total and deliberate disregard of international rule of law. This needs to be directly addressed by the NZ government. Sanctions against two Ministers and terrorism lables against In this context, we are also aware that there is a campaign to conflate anti-semitism with criticism of Zionism and the State of Israel. This is unacceptable.

We acknowledge that the Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon has clearly advocated for a rules-based international order and support for the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling that there is a plausible case that Israel's conduct in Gaza may breach its obligations under the genocide convention. The government’s position is that Israel must listen to the concerns of the international community, and the protection of civilians is paramount and a requirement under international humanitarian law. The Prime Minister has also affirmed that New Zealand supports the international rules-based system and International Criminal Court (ICC) and the arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity over their war in Gaza. The government has also clearly stated that it is intolerable that Israel has blocked aid reaching the starving population in Gaza .

We have signed the Accord as a recognition that there is a rapid rise of Islamophobia in Aotearoa New Zealand. This has to be addressed. We consider that sitting at a table with many stakeholders and raising our concerns through respectful dialogue is a peaceful pathway to achieve a socially cohesive nation. We look forward to seeing how the government rises to the challenges that we and other vulnerable minorities face. We have taken a step forward for peace.

Our request is for the government to now implement the following:

1. Extend the harmony initiative to other faiths and ethnic communities. We all need to collectively share in the social cohesion pathway for Aotearoa New Zealand.
2. Implement the recommendation of the Royal Commission with respect to hate speech. We note that the current legislation on hate speech has existed since 1993, and covers gender, race and colour, but does not include faith as a protected characteristic. The Royal Commission wanted this anomaly to be rectified.

On the international front, we seek the government:

1. To remove the visa waiver scheme for Israeli citizens and they should apply for visa like all other nationalities in the Middle East. Alternatively, also extend visa waiver for all Palestinians.
2. To immediately recognise the State of Palestine and establish formal diplomatic relations.

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