NEW ZEALAND ZIONIST GROUPS CONTINUE TO DEFEND GENOCIDE

 

This week, the world's leading association of genocide scholars declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. A landmark resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) states that Israel's conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the UN convention on genocide. But in New Zealand, Zionist groups like the New Zealand Jewish Council continue to defend Israel's war crimes. 

Juliet Moses with Winston Peters.

AS TENS of thousands of Palestinians lie buried beneath the rubble of Gaza, the machinery of genocide continues—military, diplomatic, ideological. And here in New Zealand, far from the carnage, Zionist organisations like the New Zealand Jewish Council have played a disturbing role: not as distant observers, but as active defenders of Israel’s war crimes.

No matter what the timid New Zealand media might continue to say, what is happening in Gaza is not a 'conflict,' not a 'war,' and certainly cannot be credibly interpreted as Israel acting in 'self-defence'. It is a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing, starvation, and annihilation. Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened. Hospitals bombed. Journalists killed. Children buried alive. And yet, amid this horror, the New Zealand Jewish Council continues to amplify Israeli talking points, deflect criticism, and smear those who dare speak out.

For two years the NZJC has supported the actions of what activist and writer Naomi Klein has described as an '...ethnostate that wants Jews to be perennially afraid, that wants our children to be afraid, that wants us to believe the world is against us so that we go running to its fortress and beneath its iron dome, or at least keep the weapons and donations flowing.'

Juliet Moses, the Council’s most prominent spokesperson, has become the face of this ideological defence. Her public statements and her many comments in the social media consistently frame Israel as a victim of antisemitism, conflating legitimate outrage over war crimes with bigotry and racism. This rhetorical sleight of hand is not just dishonest—it’s dangerous. It delegitimises Palestinian suffering and chills free speech in New Zealand.

When Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick called for sanctions against Israel and condemned the cowardice of government MP's unwilling to act, Moses and her allies responded with outrage—not at the genocide, but at Swarbrick for having the temerity to speak out. The Speaker of Parliament, Gerry Brownlee, suspended her for the week. The message was clear: moral clarity will be punished, and Zionist sensitivities will be protected.

Moses has also condemned grassroots campaigns that seek to hold Israeli soldiers accountable, labelling efforts to identify former IDF personnel holidaying in New Zealand as 'unconscionable'. But what is truly unconscionable is the silence surrounding the role of these soldiers in the slaughter of innocent men, women and children and the destruction of Gaza. The smear campaigns against activists and journalists—often orchestrated through media allies and political pressure—are designed to suppress dissent and protect impunity.

This ideological defence of Israel is not confined to civil society. It permeates our government. Foreign Minister Winston Peters has mouthed platitudes about peace and a 'two-state solution', while refusing to condemn Israel’s actions as genocide. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has offered mild rebukes of Netanyahu, describing him as having 'lost the plot,' but continues to support the diplomatic and military architecture that enables Israel’s war machine. This Government's main concern is not to offend the Trump administration.

Within Parliament, Zionist sympathies run deep. Historical ties between the Labour Party and the Zionist project stretch back to Peter Fraser, who was described as having 'Zionist exuberance' during Israel’s founding. Today, those affinities manifest in the reluctance of both Labour and National MPs to challenge Israel’s impunity.

Zionist supporters within the present Government include the Leader of the House Chris Bishop, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, Act leader David Seymour, Act co-leader Brooke van Velden and ACT MP Simon Court.  And when Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was asked him whether New Zealand would entertain placing sanctions on Israel, he responded by saying that we are a 'long, long way off doing that.'

It was Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith who appointed Stephen Rainbow as Human Rights Commissioner despite him not being shortlisted as a candidate by an independent panel. Rainbow is a Zionist and a personal friend of Juliet Moses. Rainbow has tried to conflate Judaism with Zionism. Last year, he wrote:

 'The current resurgence of antisemitism across the globe confirms more than ever the need for a nation where Jews can be safe. Every time a protester effectively chants for Israel’s destruction with 'from the river to the sea', it confirms the relentless battle against the right of Jewish people to exist and makes the case for a safe homeland for Jewish people even stronger.

New Zealand remains embedded in the Five Eyes intelligence network, which provides surveillance and logistical support to US imperialism—and by extension, to Israel’s operations in Gaza. KiwiSaver funds have invested nearly $900 million in weapons manufacturers profiting from the slaughter. Companies like Caterpillar and Amphenol, whose products are used to demolish Palestinian homes and build military infrastructure, are backed by New Zealand capital.

This is not neutrality. It is complicity.

Zionist organisations in New Zealand have mastered the art of weaponising identity politics to shield Israel from accountability. By positioning themselves as defenders of Jewish safety, they conflate criticism of Israel with attacks on Jewish identity. This tactic not only distorts the public debate—it undermines the safety of Jewish New Zealanders who oppose Zionism.

Groups like Sh'ma Koleinu  (Alternative Jewish Voices), a Jewish group critical of Israel’s actions, have faced backlash from within the community for daring to speak out. Their calls for solidarity with Palestinians and opposition to genocide have been met with accusations of betrayal. The has simply been an attempt to police what is acceptable discourse, where only pro-Israel voices are deemed legitimate.

Meanwhile, Palestinian voices are often excluded entirely. The government’s recent “harmony accord” between Muslim and Jewish leaders made no mention of Gaza and failed to include Palestinian representatives. It was a symbolic gesture designed to suppress political dissent under the guise of social cohesion. Marilyn Garson of Alternative Jewish Voices observed:

'The harmony accord proceeds from the problem statement that genocide and government indifference can cause social disharmony in Aotearoa. That is true – but the disharmony has never been between the Jewish and Muslim religions. There is disharmony between the street and the backrooms of power; between society and the far Right and disinformation networks that seek to undermine society; between the great majority of New Zealanders and the White Christian nationalist use of religion to intimidate and incite.'

We must reject any attempts at a manufactured consensus. The genocide in Gaza demands moral and political clarity, not diplomatic hedging and stalling. Zionist organisations in New Zealand have chosen to defend the indefensible. They have smeared critics, lobbied politicians, and tried to construct a shield of silence around Israel’s crimes.

But that shield is cracking. The protests grow louder. The calls for boycott, divestment, and sanctions intensify. And the complicity of our institutions is being exposed.

It is time to name names. To call out the enablers. To demand accountability—not just from Israel, but from those in New Zealand who defend its actions. The blood of Gaza is on their hands too.