ISRAELI WAR CRIMINALS MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

The local Zionist lobby continues to defend Israel's genocidal rampage in Gaza which has killed over 74,000 people. In addition to the verified fatalities, over 175,000 people have also been injured. But local Zionists like Juliet Moses, recently on vacation in Israel, are not happy that members of the Israel Defence Forces are being targeted for protest while they vacation in New Zealand. According to Moses, members of the IDF cannot be held responsible for government policy. But for over two years the President of the Zionist-controlled New Zealand Jewish Council has actively supported the policies of the Israeli regime. It's little wonder that Moses thinks New Zealand should greet Israeli war criminals with open arms. But that clearly would be an insult to our values as a nation.

 

FOR DECADES, New Zealand has taken pride in its international reputation as an independent, principled nation rooted in human rights and justice. From resisting nuclear testing in the Pacific to standing firmly against South African apartheid, New Zealand’s national identity is bound up with its refusal to turn a blind eye to grave human rights abuses occurring abroad. Yet, as the catastrophic destruction of Gaza continues to unfold, a troubling hypocrisy threatens this legacy: the quiet arrival of off-duty Israeli military personnel seeking rest and recreation.

To allow members of the Israel Defence Forces who have actively participated in operations in Gaza to holiday in New Zealand without visible public protest would be an affront to our values. A vacation is not a neutral act when it provides safe harbour and leisure to individuals who may have committed war crimes. Treating New Zealand as an idyllic escape where IDF members can relax without protest sends a message to the world that our commitment to international law ends where tourism begins.

The core issue is not simply one of individual conduct; it is about collective moral responsibility. Mandatory conscription in Israel means a big percentage of its youth serves in the military. But they are serving in a military that is killing innocent people, carrying out the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcedly removing people from what is left of their homes, and deliberately starving millions. This barbarism must have consequences. 

Public protest against their presence of IDF personnel in this country is a crucial mechanism of accountability. Protesting is not about vigilantism or violence; it is an assertion of civic conscience. It communicates clearly that New Zealanders will not offer comfort, obscurity, or normalisation to those who commit war crimes. 

If our government fails to enforce stringent screening or hold potential perpetrators of war crimes accountable under international law, ordinary people must step into the void. Silent compliance signals tacit approval, suggesting that as long as atrocities occur far from our shores, we are content to host the perpetrators once their shifts are over.

Furthermore, refusing to remain silent aligns with New Zealand’s historical stance against systemic oppression. When New Zealanders protested the 1981 Springbok tour, the message was clear: sport and leisure cannot be separated from the moral reality of the state being represented. The same principle applies to tourism today. The freedom to travel internationally is one that is systematically denied to millions of Palestinians trapped under siege or displaced in refugee camps. 

New Zealand must not allow itself a become a safe harbour for war criminals. By actively protesting the presence of IDF members, New Zealanders upholds the country’s legacy as a defender of human rights. We must make it known that our shores are not a playground for those involved in war crimes, and that wherever war crimes are committed, the demand for accountability will always follow.