Photo: DAWN
“Cynical diversionary gesture,” the New Zealand government has sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers after more than 20 months of the escalated genocide.
It has taken the government nearly two years to sanction anybody responsible for accelerating the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Israeli Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir is one of the two. He was responsible for deliberately increasing the torture and executions of Palestinians without trial, saying that they “should be shot in the head instead of being given more food.”
The other is Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister,” who declared that, “Gaza will be entirely destroyed” by Israel.
Just 12 settlers have been sanctioned for settlements in the West Bank, but the government won’t say who.
But it’s too little, too late.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) say it is nothing more than a gesture to placate those who are angry with the mass killings and starvations.
“By limiting travel options for two Israeli politicians our government feels like it is conveying a message of, ‘look busy - New Zealanders are angry, we must be seen to be doing something, but really, we don’t care.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called for the funding of Hamas in 2019 and has simultaneously opposed a two-state solution, has not been sanctioned.
“When it comes to war, human rights and the extent of violence and genocide that we're seeing, Palestine is its own independent nation ... why is this government sanctioning only two ministers? They should be sanctioning the whole of Israel.”
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packers says the government has been “doing everything to do nothing” to “appease allies that have dangerously overstepped unjustifiable marks.”
The government have delayed action for as long as possible and have done as little as possible to avoid a fallout with the US.