January 28, 2025 • 5 mins
The Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa's launched what it calls a 'genocide hotline' - asking people to report sightings of Israeli Defence Force soldiers holidaying in New Zealand.
It's part of their campaign against the war on Gaza, and it says the focus is not Israeli or Jewish people - but IDF soldiers.
National chair, John Minto, says now is a window of opportunity to pressure Israel more to continue with the ceasefire.
"There's been industrial-scale killing of Palestinians in Gaza - no one involved in that army should be allowed into New Zealand."
The post has prompted more than 100 complaints to the Human Rights Commission.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
John Minto is joining us because the Palestinian Solidarity Network
al ted OA they're asking members of the public to
help them track down Israeli soldiers holidaying in New Zealand. Yeah,
they've asked people to call a hotline if they spot
an Israeli soldier in order to help hold Israel accountable
for the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza. The Human Rights Commission,
(00:24):
the Jewish Council, and the Holocaust Center also this campaign
is potentially harmful to Jewish people and Israeli people in
New Zealand and it should be called off. John Minto
is the network's national chair and he's with me tonight, John,
Good evening.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, good evening. Ryan.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Can you just explain why you think this is all good?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Well, I think it's all good because, well, our campaign's
good because this issue is in the hands of the government,
and our government has done nothing effective to put pressure
on Israel to end the genocide. And and I should
say that at the outset of this genocide will continue
in about four weeks time when the current ceasefire ends,
(01:09):
and so we've got a window of opportunity now to
put much more pressure on Israel. So that it continues
with the ceasefire rather than goes goes back to war.
So what we're saying, what we're saying is that you know,
we wouldn't New Zealand wouldn't accept We wouldn't accept Russian
soldiers here on for Western recreation after the invasion of Ukraine,
(01:29):
and we shouldn't accept Israeli soldiers here fresh from a
genocide in Gaza. There's been industrial scale killing of Palestinians
and Gaza. No one involved in that army should be
allowed into New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Okay, who answers the phone? If I call the hotline,
you'll get a message telling you that we're not interested
in Israelis.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
We're not interested in anyone from the Jewish community. We
are only interested in Israeli soldiers. And if you don't
have information about about the whereabouts of an Israeli soldier,
then then put the phone down.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Right, And if I believe I know we're how would
someone know it's an Israeli soldier and not just in
Israeli And are they soldiers because it's compulsory military attendance there, right, So.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It's not every Israeli and New Zealand in New Zealand
is here served in the Israeli Army since October the
seventh and twenty twenty three, So we're interested in Israeli
soldiers from that period.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Specific, Quite specific, isn't it. So how do you think
any New Zealander is going to know the difference between
Anne Israeli and Anne Israeli who has done military service
in the last two three years?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, I think that for most people just won't be
I mean, I mean people can't tell Israelis from any
other European.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Well, quite right, Which is the problem with the phone line, right,
You're just going to get well, a bunch of people
bringing about saying I've seen in Israeli. Oh look, I've
been to the synagogue.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
What what? God, good grief? Don't say that? For God's sake.
Where I think where it's going to come down to
Ryan is that? And we've already and already I wouldn't
say it's a pattern which has emerged from the calls
we've had, but I think it will be a pattern
which emerges from the calls we we get, and that
is from people who are from backpacking in the South Island.
(03:28):
So backpacking backpackers are typically what Israeli soldiers who come
over here on rest and recreation. Do they go around
they do the they do the adventure tourism, there and
there and one a Queenstown and all of you. That's
that's where.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
You've had calls from people and so oh yeah, absolutely,
And how do the people that call you know that
these are Israeli soldiers have served? I don't imagine they've
got T shirts.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Because they've talked to them and because they've they've been
in conversation with them.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
And okay, all right, let's call you and then you what,
jump in your car and go find them.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
No, no, no, What we're aiming to do is have
respectful conversations, but very firm conversation.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
How do you find them? How do you find them?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Well that we know, we'll we know the names of
some of the people. We will either in some cases
we'll be sending them personal messages on through through Facebook
or whatever. In other cases we'll be visiting them if
they're in a in a in a location where our
(04:35):
people are, and we'll we've got a very simple if
you're like a not so much a leaflet, but a
very simple thing that we're going to to say to
them and what we're do.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
You know what, I'm going to leave it there. I'm
going to live there because I just to be honest,
It sounds insane what you're talking about. But thank you
very much for coming on the program. I really appreciate it,
John Minto. For more from Hither duplessy Ellen, listen live
to News Talks at b from four pm weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
John Minto is joining us because the Palestinian Solidarity Network
al ted OA they're asking members of the public to
help them track down Israeli soldiers holidaying in New Zealand. Yeah,
they've asked people to call a hotline if they spot
an Israeli soldier in order to help hold Israel accountable
for the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza. The Human Rights Commission,
(00:24):
the Jewish Council, and the Holocaust Center also this campaign
is potentially harmful to Jewish people and Israeli people in
New Zealand and it should be called off. John Minto
is the network's national chair and he's with me tonight, John,
Good evening.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, good evening. Ryan.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Can you just explain why you think this is all good?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Well, I think it's all good because, well, our campaign's
good because this issue is in the hands of the government,
and our government has done nothing effective to put pressure
on Israel to end the genocide. And and I should
say that at the outset of this genocide will continue
in about four weeks time when the current ceasefire ends,
(01:09):
and so we've got a window of opportunity now to
put much more pressure on Israel. So that it continues
with the ceasefire rather than goes goes back to war.
So what we're saying, what we're saying is that you know,
we wouldn't New Zealand wouldn't accept We wouldn't accept Russian
soldiers here on for Western recreation after the invasion of Ukraine,
(01:29):
and we shouldn't accept Israeli soldiers here fresh from a
genocide in Gaza. There's been industrial scale killing of Palestinians
and Gaza. No one involved in that army should be
allowed into New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Okay, who answers the phone? If I call the hotline,
you'll get a message telling you that we're not interested
in Israelis.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
We're not interested in anyone from the Jewish community. We
are only interested in Israeli soldiers. And if you don't
have information about about the whereabouts of an Israeli soldier,
then then put the phone down.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Right, And if I believe I know we're how would
someone know it's an Israeli soldier and not just in
Israeli And are they soldiers because it's compulsory military attendance there, right, So.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It's not every Israeli and New Zealand in New Zealand
is here served in the Israeli Army since October the
seventh and twenty twenty three, So we're interested in Israeli
soldiers from that period.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Specific, Quite specific, isn't it. So how do you think
any New Zealander is going to know the difference between
Anne Israeli and Anne Israeli who has done military service
in the last two three years?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, I think that for most people just won't be
I mean, I mean people can't tell Israelis from any
other European.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Well, quite right, Which is the problem with the phone line, right,
You're just going to get well, a bunch of people
bringing about saying I've seen in Israeli. Oh look, I've
been to the synagogue.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
What what? God, good grief? Don't say that? For God's sake.
Where I think where it's going to come down to
Ryan is that? And we've already and already I wouldn't
say it's a pattern which has emerged from the calls
we've had, but I think it will be a pattern
which emerges from the calls we we get, and that
is from people who are from backpacking in the South Island.
(03:28):
So backpacking backpackers are typically what Israeli soldiers who come
over here on rest and recreation. Do they go around
they do the they do the adventure tourism, there and
there and one a Queenstown and all of you. That's
that's where.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
You've had calls from people and so oh yeah, absolutely,
And how do the people that call you know that
these are Israeli soldiers have served? I don't imagine they've
got T shirts.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Because they've talked to them and because they've they've been
in conversation with them.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
And okay, all right, let's call you and then you what,
jump in your car and go find them.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
No, no, no, What we're aiming to do is have
respectful conversations, but very firm conversation.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
How do you find them? How do you find them?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Well that we know, we'll we know the names of
some of the people. We will either in some cases
we'll be sending them personal messages on through through Facebook
or whatever. In other cases we'll be visiting them if
they're in a in a in a location where our
(04:35):
people are, and we'll we've got a very simple if
you're like a not so much a leaflet, but a
very simple thing that we're going to to say to
them and what we're do.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
You know what, I'm going to leave it there. I'm
going to live there because I just to be honest,
It sounds insane what you're talking about. But thank you
very much for coming on the program. I really appreciate it,
John Minto. For more from Hither duplessy Ellen, listen live
to News Talks at b from four pm weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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