Netanyahu accuses Albanese of abandoning Jews amid Palestine row
The Israeli leader slammed Albanese in a social media post on Tuesday night after Australia decided to cancel the visa of Simcha Rothman and
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Otago Daily Times
24 minutes ago
- Otago Daily Times
If murder it was, killing of reporter must be independently investigated
Israel must allow independent investigations of the killing of journalists, Peter Greste writes. The New York-based media freedom organisation, the Committee to Protect Journalists, is scrupulous with its words. So, when the organisation described the killing of six Palestinian journalists in an Israeli air strike as "murder", the word was a carefully considered CPJ defines "murder" as the "deliberate killing of journalists for their work". Israeli authorities said they were targeting one man — a 28-year-old Al Jazeera reporter named Anas al-Sharif — who they said was the leader of a Hamas "cell". They also accused him of "advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and (Israeli) troops". Israel made no claims about the other five; three of them were al-Sharif's Al Jazeera colleagues and the other two were freelance journalists. In a post on X, an Israeli military spokesman said: "Prior to the strike, we obtained current intelligence indicating that Sharif was an active Hamas military wing operative at the time of his elimination." The evidence the Israeli authorities claimed to have was circumstantial at best: "personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, phone directories and salary documents". Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee also posted undated photos on X that appeared to show al-Sharif in an embrace with Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas mastermind of the October 2023 attack on Israel. Israel says it has further classified evidence that includes more damning detail. Without seeing it all, it is impossible to verify the claims but the photograph itself is hardly proof. Front-line journalists (myself included) will have selfies with those they have interviewed, including some very unpleasant characters. Many will have phone numbers of extremists — they will appear in call logs and records of meetings. None of it is evidence of anything other than a well-connected reporter doing their job. Of course, Israel may well be right. Despite the vigorous denials from Al Jazeera, it is still possible al-Sharif was working for Hamas. And if he was, the Israeli authorities should have no problem allowing independent investigators complete access to verify the claims and settle the matter. But the strike also fits a disturbing pattern. With 190 media workers now killed since the October 7 attacks, this is the deadliest conflict for journalists since the CPJ began keeping records. While some of the victims were inevitably caught in the violence along with so many other civilians, many of them died in rocket strikes aimed squarely at their homes, their clearly marked vehicles, or while they were wearing body armour labelled "PRESS". In all, the CPJ has identified 24 journalists who appeared to have been targeted — murdered, in the group's words — specifically because of their work. The number may well be far higher but those figures alone raise disturbing questions about Israel's tolerance for critical media reporting. They also demand answers from independent investigators. We receive horrific reports from Gaza daily, but Israel repeatedly dismisses them as Hamas propaganda. "A terrorist is a terrorist, even if Al Jazeera gives him a press badge", the Israeli foreign ministry posted on social media. If Israel believes the journalism from Palestinian reporters is nothing more than Hamas propaganda, the solution is straightforward: let foreign correspondents in. It is worth recalling the reason we cherish media freedom is not because we want to privilege a particular class of individual. It is because we recognise the vital importance accurate, independent reporting plays in informing public debate. Without it, we are blind and deaf. International news organisations have repeatedly called for access to Gaza. Now, a group of more than 1000 international journalists have signed a petition demanding to be let in (I am one of the signatories). Israel has so far refused. The government says it cannot guarantee their security in such an active battlefield. But that cannot be justification alone. All those who have signed the petition know well the risks of reporting from hostile environments. Many have crossed active war front lines themselves. Most have friends who have died in other conflicts. Some have been wounded, arrested or kidnapped themselves. None are naive to the dangers and all are committed to the principles behind media freedom. Calling for foreign journalists to be let into Gaza is not to deny the extraordinary sacrifice of Anas al-Sharif or any of the other Palestinians who have been killed while doing their jobs. Rather, it is to assert the importance of the fundamental right of all — the right to information. That applies as much in Gaza as it does in Ukraine, or Russia, or Sudan, or any other crisis where the public needs accurate, reliable information to support good policy. — ■ Peter Greste is a professor of journalism and communications at Macquarie University.
NZ Herald
5 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Tairāwhiti Stands With Palestine protest calls for Government sanctions on Israel
Messages from the community about what is happening in Gaza were placed inside bottles addressed to East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick as part of a Gaza protest rally in Gisborne on Saturday. 'New Zealand signed on to the Geneva Conventions in 1950 and has been party to multiple protocols to protect civilian populations since. International law is a code of conduct between nation states,' Luiten said. 'You don't get to pick and choose when to apply it. What is happening in Gaza is not a tragedy. It's a crime against humanity. In the circumstances, the Government's lack of response amounts to complicity. 'Whānau in Egypt are throwing bottles of food into the Mediterranean in the hope they will reach starving whānau in Gaza. We are sending our messages in a bottle to Dana in the hope that she, too, will be moved to do her bit to end the deliberate starvation in Gaza.' In response to the calls to sanction Israel, the Israeli embassy in New Zealand gave a statement. 'Israel deeply regrets every innocent life lost. Israelis know this pain personally. Hundreds of our own civilians were murdered, and dozens have been held hostage by Hamas for over 680 days, deliberately abused and starved by the terrorists,' the ambassador's statement read. 'To describe Israel's actions as 'crime against humanity' or 'deliberate starvation' is wrong and misleading. These claims are copied from Hamas propaganda. We should remember that Hamas is a terror group designated under New Zealand law, which systematically embeds fighters and weapons among civilians, precisely to drive up casualties. 'The tragedy in Gaza stems from Hamas waging cruel war from hospitals, schools, and crowded neighborhoods – not from Israel's defence of its people. Israel has facilitated unprecedented aid: over 2 million tonnes of supplies and 230 million ready-to-eat meals. 'Hamas has seized fuel, stolen aid and food shipments and sold them, and starved the hostages it still holds. Starvation is not Israel's policy; it is Hamas's weapon. 'Sanctioning Israel would not promote peace. It would reward Hamas's atrocities, embolden further terrorism, and 'punish' the region's only democracy. If groups in New Zealand want to make a real difference, they should pressure Hamas – still holding Israeli hostages and treating 2 million Palestinians as human shields – to lay down its weapons, release the hostages and leave Gaza. That is the real path to possible peace process.' Kirkpatrick said she was 'just as appalled' by the situation in Gaza as anybody. 'The situation in Gaza is horrific, and the humanitarian crisis is particularly galling for all of us,' Kirkpatrick said. 'The October 7 attacks by Hamas were abhorrent, but the response has gone too far. It is time for a ceasefire, not further military action. We need food and aid to reach Gaza, not more soldiers and missiles.' Kirkpatrick said the New Zealand Government had called for a ceasefire and had sent millions in aid. Dana Kirkpatrick talked about the Government's policy on Palestine. Photo / Mark Mitchell 'Our Government has consistently called on both sides to respect international law, including the protection of civilians and vital infrastructure such as hospitals,' she said. 'New Zealand has also sent $37.25 million in aid to address urgent humanitarian needs. The best course of action now is the immediate resumption of humanitarian assistance, and for both parties to engage to restore a ceasefire.' New Zealand was working with other nations to help broker peace, Kirkpatrick said. Cabinet will make a formal decision in September on whether New Zealand should recognise a state of Palestine. Father Mark Field, parish priest at Star Mary's Star of the Sea in Gisborne, said parishioners were praying for those in Gaza and could also donate to the charity Caritas. Photo / Liam Clayton On Facebook, Tairāwhiti Catholic highlighted a message from Father Gabriel Romanelli of Gaza's only Catholic parish, Holy Family Church, located in northern Gaza. In July, an Israeli strike hit the church, killing three people. 'We remember the people of Palestine in our prayers every Sunday,' Gisborne parish priest Father Mark Field said. 'The plight of the Catholic parish in Gaza is something that we are naturally very concerned about. Our Parish Council has discussed ways that we can be more involved.' Field said they had encouraged parishioners to contribute through Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand – a New Zealand and international Catholic charity that helped in areas affected by war and disasters.
Scoop
10 hours ago
- Scoop
NZ Is Trailing Its Allies Over Palestinian Statehood – But There's Still Time To Show Leadership
It's now a week since Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced his government had begun to formally consider New Zealand's position on the recognition of a Palestinian state. That leaves three weeks until the United Nations General Assembly convenes on September 9, where it is expected several key allies will change position and recognise Palestinian statehood. Already in a minority of UN member states which don't recognise a Palestinian state, New Zealand risks becoming more of an outlier if and when Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom make good on their recent pledges. Luxon has said the decision is 'complex', but opposition parties certainly don't see it that way. Labour leader Chris Hipkins says it's 'the right thing to do', and Greens co-leader Chloë Swarbrick has called on government MPs to 'grow a spine' (for which she was controversially ejected from the debating chamber). Former Labour prime minister Helen Clark has also criticised the government for trailing behind its allies, and for appearing to put trade relations with the United States ahead of taking a moral stand over Israel's actions in Gaza. Certainly, those critics – including the many around the country who marched during the weekend – are correct in implying New Zealand has missed several opportunities to show independent leadership on the issue. The distraction factor While it has been open to New Zealand to recognise it as a state since Palestine declared its independence in 1988, there was an opportunity available in May last year when the Irish, Spanish and Norwegian governments took the step. That month, New Zealand also joined 142 other states calling on the Security Council to admit Palestine as a full member of the UN. But in a subsequent statement, New Zealand said its vote should not be implied as recognising Palestinian statehood, a position I called 'a kind of muddled, awkward fence-sitting'. It is still not too late, however, for New Zealand to take a lead. In particular, the government could make a more straightforward statement on Palestinian statehood than its close allies. The statements from Australia, Canada and the UK are filled with caveats, conditions and contingencies. None are straightforward expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian right of self-determination under international law. As such, they present political and legal problems New Zealand could avoid. Politically, this late wave of recognition by other countries risks becoming a distraction from the immediate starvation crisis in Gaza. As the Israeli journalist Gideon Levy and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese have noted, these considered and careful diplomatic responses distract from the brutal truth on the ground. This was also Chloë Swarbrick's point during the snap debate in parliament last week. Her private members bill, she noted, offers a more concrete alternative, by imposing sanctions and a trade embargo on Israel. (At present, it seems unlikely the government would support this.) Beyond traditional allies Legally, the proposed recognitions of statehood are far from ideal because they place conditions on that recognition, including how a Palestinian state should be governed. The UK has made recognition conditional on Israel not agreeing to a ceasefire and continuing to block humanitarian aid into Gaza. That is extremely problematic, given recognition could presumably be withdrawn if Israel agreed to those demands. Such statements are not exercises in genuine solidarity with Palestinian self-determination, which is defined in UN Resolution 1514 (1960) as the right of peoples 'to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development'. Having taken more time to consider its position, New Zealand could now articulate a more genuine statement of recognition that fulfils the legal obligation to respect and promote self-determination under international law. A starting point would be to look beyond the small group of 'traditional allies' to countries such as Ireland that have already formally recognised the State of Palestine. Importantly, Ireland acknowledged Palestinian 'peaceful self-determination' (along with Israel's), but did not express any other conditions or caveats. New Zealand could also show leadership by joining with that wider group of allies to shape the coming General Assembly debate. The aim would be to shift the language from conditional recognition of Palestine toward a politically and legally more tenable position. That would also sit comfortably with the country's track record in other areas of international diplomacy – most notably the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons, where New Zealand has also taken a different approach to its traditional allies.
