NZ Pro-Palestine group on the hunt for members of the IDF
A hotline encouraging the public to report Israeli soldiers vacationing in New Zealand has been widely condemned as “hateful” and “antisemitic”.
John Minto, national chair of the Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA), launched the initiative, claiming that it was part of holding Israel accountable for alleged war crimes. In an online post, Minto argued, “There’s no place in New Zealand for rest and recreation for perpetrators of genocide.” He later compared the move to rejecting Russian soldiers amid the Ukraine invasion, referring to Israel as a “genocidal, apartheid state.”
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Dr
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.jwire.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Deborah-hartxx.jpg?resize=290%2C196&ssl=1)
Deborah Hart
Stephen Rainbow said the Human Rights Commission had received over 100 complaints about the hotline and urged its immediate cessation.
“The promotion may not be unlawful, however, the chief commissioner sees it as potentially harmful to Israeli and Jewish people in Aotearoa New Zealand,” Rainbow said.
“Israeli and Jewish people have as much right as everyone else in New Zealand to be safe, secure, and free from harassment … This sort of action has the risk of a ripple effect which may cause harm in the community.”
Melissa Derby, Race Relations Commissioner, highlighted that fostering social cohesion requires the rejection of racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bigotry. She referenced the Christchurch mosque attack inquiry, calling for collective responsibility to prevent divisive actions.
The controversy coincides with Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where over one million people, predominantly Jews, perished between 1940 and 1945.
The New Zealand Jewish Council (NZJC) strongly criticized the hotline, describing it as “the latest in a series of disturbing antisemitic rhetoric”. They continued to say that “John Minto and his organisation the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) have crossed a line in calling to hunt down Israeli soldiers and reservists in New Zealand”.
Deb Hart of Holocaust Centre New Zealand labelled the initiative “racist” and warned that it encourages vigilantism. “We’ve seen a 500% increase in reported hate crimes against Jews…this is not the New Zealand that we all know and love.” She continued to say that the message spreads hate and that it further contributes to a growing fear within the Jewish community. This results in an atmosphere were “Jewish children don’t feel safe to go to school, all of our synagogues need guards at the door, this is the reality 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz.”
Minto defended the hotline, claiming that it targets soldiers rather than the broader Israeli population. This is about “bringing home a message to Israeli society so that they understand New Zealand society does not support their actions.”
“We’re very careful and clear that this is not about Israelis, it is aimed at Israeli soldiers holidaying in New Zealand so they know they are not welcome here, and they understand that New Zealand society does not support their actions,” he said.
Hart dismissed this justification as “absolute rubbish.”
Dr Rainbow said that it was not that simple and that Minto’s position set a dangerous precedent in an “increasingly polarised and divided society”.
“To condone this kind of activity with regard to one group. I mean, the potential for this kind of action to be then targeted at other groups is really, really destructive and we’ve got a very strong responsibility at the Human Rights Commission to maintain social cohesion.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has also condemned the hotline. “It’s racist, fascist, it’s illegal but typical of Minto’s five decade diatribe against the national interests.”
ACT leader David Seymour, who has a large Jewish community in his electorate, said the hotline was an absolute disgrace. “I grew up thinking John Minto was something of a hero because of a role he played in the Springbok protest. As I’ve got older and got to know a little bit more about John Minto I think his behaviour is absolutely disgraceful and the complete opposite of what he stood for when he was leading those protests, what is it now 44 years ago … I absolutely deplore what he’s doing. It’s disgraceful.”
The NZJC called on the government and security agencies to condemn the initiative, warning it incites harassment by targeting “individuals based on their nationality”. “This growing threat requires urgent action from Government and security agencies and condemnation from leaders across the political spectrum, to prevent escalation such as we have seen in Australia,” they said.
The hotline was launched shortly after a synagogue arson attack in Australia, described as an antisemitic incident.
Minto obviously doesn’t know that IDF soldiers are the broader part of the Israeli population.
He also doesn’t understand the meaning of the word ‘genocide’. Not a very smart fellow, is he.