Film agreement between NZ-Israel receives backlash by human rights campaigners
A heated debate gives rise for human rights campaigners who are horrified by a recent film co-production agreement between New Zealand and Israel.
The Agreement on Film Co-Production between the New Zealand government and the Israeli Government was signed earlier this year, – in March 2016, but has yet to take effect.
Palestine human rights campaigner Sian Robertson, says that by signing the agreement, New Zealand is essentially endorsing a country with one of the worst human rights records on the planet.
The Co-Production deal has attracted offshore media interest. Ken Loach, a British film director supports the debate and boycott, saying: “Your campaign against the proposed film co-production agreement between New Zealand and Israel has my whole-hearted support.
“Israel’s long record of oppressing the Palestinians is well known This forces us all to choose. Do we stand with the oppressor of the oppressed? There is no middle position.”
Reports confirm that the United States are also “deeply worried” about Israel’s reported plans to build new legal settlements in East Jerusalem. John Kirby, US State Department spokesperson says the plan is “corrosive to the cause of peace” and “continues this pattern of provocative and counterproductive action”.
Robertson is appealing to the New Zealand government to remove the agreement immediately.
“Israel spends millions to promote itself internationally as the innocent victim of terrorism. In fact, the opposite is more true; Israel is the dominant terrorist nation in the Middle East.
“New Zealand was a country that helped end apartheid in South Africa, through strong boycotts of sporting ties and investment. That’s the sort of leadership we should be showing in the Middle East,” says Robertson.
However, New Zealand perspectives concerning the Film Co-Production Agreement vastly differ.
In contrast, Auckland Hebrew Congregation member, Juliet Moses says: “It’s fantastic to see this agreement in place.
Following the recent very successful trade delegation led by Spark’s CEO Simon Moutter to Israel, it surely heralds the start of much more mutually beneficial co-operation between New Zealand and Israel, two great countries with so much in common. I can’t imagine that the Government will be too concerned with the hysterical reaction of Ms Robertson, who has a tenuous grasp on the truth, nor with being chastised by a British film director who I suspect most Kiwis have not heard of.
I have just returned from Israel and the West Bank, where I met with many Palestinians, so that I can better understand the people and what they need and want. I can categorically tell you that peace will not come from boycotts and pressure from condescending outsiders. It will come from dialogue between the two sides and co-existence. Palestinians know they need to develop industry and the economic infrastructure that is integral to creating a viable sovereign state and in doing so they can learn much and derive significant benefits from Israel.
There are some great initiatives happening to this end. If Ms Robertson is truly committed to peace and helping the Palestinians, she should be encouraging New Zealand support of these initiatives, rather than peddling lies about Israel that helps no one and certainly will never lead to peace,” says Moses.
Those who hate Jews as individuals or as a collective have been bitterly disappointed by the failure of the “final solution” to “the Jewish problem.”
That absolute “success” was so close, but fell short, galls these people.
Imagine how gut-wrenching and sleep-depriving it is for them to witness the phoenix of The State of Israel, a modern, progressive, incredibly successful enterprise.
That’s why they obsess about Israel.
That’s why all reason and decency have fled from their hate-filled being.
A small group of unrepresentative swill and the NZ Government goes to Water.Just weak kneed unprincipled Politicians…
any credibility this person might have is totally destroyed by her totally untrue,outrageous and obscene claim “that Israel is the dominant terrorist organisation the Middle East
NewZealand human rights activists are not all naive .
A few sound strategists and historians recognise the absolute horror of both the Syrian Regime under the Ba’ath and its barbaric opponent ISIS : and the war by Islam against Jewish escape from Genocide in Nazi occupied Europe in WW2
This is galling because New Zealand underpopulated and with vast spaces uninhabited took in a minimal number of Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe fleeing Genocide from Nazism between 1933- 1939 when emigration was possible for Jews .
However when the Empire of Japan threatened with immense cruel victories in its wars in Asia in WW2 New Zealand had 400,000 USA troops to protect it so great was its fear and weakness .
It fails to recognise that the Israel one tenth the size of New Zealand and with eight million people has critical security threats that basically places the nation in a state of peril and requires tough security choices .
Calling Israel an apartheid state insults the millions of people that suffered under that system. As a former anti apartheid activist, I can vouch that there is no resemblance between Israel and South Africa. Apartheid laws had more in common with the Nazi Nuremberg Laws of 1935. Robertson, Loach and other mindless populists lack intellectual and moral integrity, as well as the courage to stand up for genuine liberal democratic values of openness and debate. They are totalitarians posing as “human rights” advocates.Just like the hangmen of Teheran,the chemical bombers of Syria, the floggers and beheaders of Saudi Arabia,they too support BDS.