NEW ZEALAND: A VASSAL STATE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

 

While Israeli attacks on United Nations Peacekeepers in Lebanon have been widely condemned, New Zealand has said nothing.

THIS GOVERNMENT'S failure to adequately confront Israel's genocidal war in Gaza was summed up by the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the New Zealand First conference held over the weekend. Instead of addressing the concerns of pro-Palestinian protesters at the conference, Winston Peters played up to his audience, dismissing the protesters as feckless miscreants. 'This is what is considered a day's work,' said Peters derisively.
 

The inability of Winston Peters to take genocide seriously though is typical of a government that has done little to protest Israel's barbaric actions in Gaza and now in Lebanon.

Several countries, including Brazil, South Africa, Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Honduras, Turkey, Jordan and Bahrain, have all placed sanctions on Israel and cut diplomatic ties with the Zionist state. But while the growing pro-Palestine movement in New Zealand has called for similar measures from the New Zealand Government, it has continued to do nothing.

The principal reason for that is clear. While the countries who have taken action against Israel are determinedly unaligned and refuse to be drawn into the web of the American Empire, the National-led Government has enthusiastically shuffled ever closer to the United States. It was only in April Winston Peters and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken convening for talks at the State Department, declared in a joint statement that their two countries are 'working more closely than ever.'

In recent days, the Israeli military has fired on the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, twice in less than 48 hours. These attacks have been condemned by many countries, with Italy describing them as 'totally unacceptable' and Spain condemning than as a 'violation of international law'.

The United States though has only been prepared to say that it was 'deeply concerned' by the attacks. It appears that the New Zealand Government has taken note of the American position and also not condemned the attacks. It has said nothing. Winston Peters has remained silent.

Within the last twenty-four hours Israeli troops have forced their way into a United Nations base, injuring fifteen UN troops. Reports say that the Israeli military used outlawed chemical weapons.

What will it take for the New Zealand Government to take concrete measures against the rogue state of Israel that has slaughtered over 40,000 innocent people in Gaza ? Isn't it time that the New Zealand Government, at the very least, imposed sanctions on Israel? If it can impose sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine, then why can't it impose similar sanctions on Israel? Why can't it expel the Israeli ambassador? Or is the National-led Government condemning New Zealand to be just another complaint vassal state of the American Empire?

 

Note: Some twenty-fours after UN peacemakers were attacked by Israeli troops, Winston Peters finally issued a statement. In part, it reads:

'New Zealand is alarmed at injuries to UN peacekeepers and damage to UN facilities in Lebanon caused by the Israel Defence Force as recently as yesterday. Any targeting of UN peacekeepers is a violation of international law and is completely unacceptable...As a UN member, Israel has signed up to international norms and obligations. We expect it to comply with them.'

But a message of indignation posted to X is as far as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his government are prepared to go. The last twelve months have taught us that Israel can commit any barbarity, any war crime, and the New Zealand Government will not take a principled stand. It will neither impose sanctions on Israel nor expel the Israeli ambassador. It's clear that New Zealand's foreign policy is being directed by the Biden administration in Washington.