Fri, 13 Nov 2009 2:19p.m.
New Zealand got a lot cosier with Israel over the last week, and appeared to take sides in the ongoing peace process that has caused much turmoil for Palestinians recently.
Last Thursday the United Nation’s Human Rights Council voted to accept a report that found both Israel and Palestine guilty of war crimes during the Gaza conflict of late 2008, early 2009.
The so-called “Goldstone Report” was a UNHCR fact-finding mission to Gaza to investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law during the conflict. Overwhelmingly, the UN General Assembly voted in favour of a resolution calling for independent inquiries by Israel and the Palestinians into war crime claims.
Of the member nations, 114 voted in favour of the resolution, 18 voted against it, and 44 abstained.
We were one of the 44.
New Zealand’s delegate to the UN made it clear that while we do want both Israel and Palestine to investigate the allegations, we could not vote for the resolution as it was biased and one-sided against Israel.
“We cannot support a resolution that, in its first Operative paragraph, endorses a Human Rights Council report on a Special Session that includes a biased, one-sided resolution.”
As far as I can tell, they’re referring to this paragraph:
“Recalling also the relevant resolutions of the Human Rights Council, including resolution S-12/1 of 16 October 2009”
Endorsing this special resolution which, among other things:
“Condemns the recent violations of human rights by Israel in Occupied East
Jerusalem, particularly the confiscation of lands and properties, the demolishing of houses and private properties, the construction and expansion of settlements, the continuous construction of the separation Wall, changing the demographic and geographic character of East Jerusalem, the restrictions on the freedom of movement of the Palestinian citizens of East Jerusalem, as well as the continuous digging and excavation works in and around Al-Aqsa mosque and its vicinity”
This week, I spoke with respected political lecturer Dr Nigel Parsons. He told me it was disappointing that NZ did not line up with the resolution on the Goldstone Report, pointing out that Richard Goldstone is of Jewish ancestry, a committed Zionist, and an internationally respected judicial official.
But he also made the point that the National government is looking to realign itself with America’s position, as well as with Israel.
Dr Parsons said:
“NZ/Israeli relations became frosty under Helen Clark. For a western head of state, she took a pretty pro-Palestinian stance, based on the evidence and international law I’m bound to say. [This was] particularly [true of] her criticism of the second Al-Aqsa intifada, when Israel under Ariel Sharon pretty much entirely reinvaded Palestinian space.”
On top of the non-vote at the UN (where it should also be noted, Australia voted against the resolution), the last week has seen the first Israeli diplomats appointed to New Zealand in 7 years.
Another indication of the warming of relations? According to Dr Parsons, it’s more a restoration of a relationship between two states that have a solid history – putting it back on the footing that it would normally be on.
With the Israel/Palestine situation resembling more and more a quagmire: Israel refusing to freeze settlement activity; the United States saying that’s not necessarily a pre-req for the peace process; the Palestinian president threatening to resign and Hamas delaying the Palestinian elections indefinitely – I guess it’s good to know where our government’s sympathies lie.