Tens of thousands of members and  supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine gathered on December 11, 2010, in Gaza City’s Palestine Stadium, marking the forty-third anniversary of the PFLP’s founding in a mass rally.

Palestinians from all sectors – men and women, elderly and children, workers and farmers, attended the rally from all sectors of Gaza City, and traveling in groups from throughout the Gaza Strip, waving red flags that filled the stadium.

Comrade Jamil Majdalawi, member of the Political Bureau of the PFLP, delivered the main speech of the rally, emphasizing the need for Palestinian national unity to confront the occupier and build the resistance in the face of all repression. He emphasized that the Palestinian people have the right to all forms of resistance, including armed, popular and economic resistance, and that resistance is the only solution to the occupation.

He denounced the accumulation of wealth, power and influence at the expense of the struggle of the Palestinian people, saying that it benefits the enemy only. He called upon Hamas and Fatah to move toward reconciliation and prioritize the national struggle of the Palestinian people.

He denounced the path of “negotiations” and “peace talks” flowing from the Oslo accords and said that the masses of the Palestinian people must lead a collective reevaluation in order to learn the lessons of this period to continue the march of the Palestinian revolutionary struggle.

He emphasized that for the PLO to fulfill its role as an umbrella uniting the people, it must be democratic and embrace all of the parts of the Palestinian national movement in a pluralistic manner, based on democratic elections and proportional representation.

Comrade Majdalawi paid tribute to the Front’s leadership and history, calling for the freedom of General Secretary Comrade Ahmad Sa’adat in the jails of the occupier, and the freedom of his comrades and all Palestinian prisoners, and saluting the legacy of past General Secretaries Abu Ali Mustafa and George Habash. He noted the strength and importance of the involvment of young people and women in all activities and at all levels of the Front and the Palestinian movement.

Comrade Musab al-Bashir, a freed former prisoner, spoke about the struggle of prisoners, calling on all forces to prioritize the case of Palestinian prisoners, and pointing to the prisoners’ movement as an example of ending the internal division. He discussed the ongoing crimes and abuses being committed against prisoners in the Zionist jails, and emphasized the commitment of the Front on the 43rd anniversary to its imprisoned comrades and all of the imprisoned sons and daughters of the Palestinian people.

The festival included artistic performances, speeches and poetry and concluded with a new song performed by the Palestinian artist Ahmed Assaf entitled “The Backbone of the Front”.

Source: http://pflp.ps/english/images/pflp-43.html

Message from the Workers Party to the PFLP on its 43rd anniversary

“The Workers Party of New Zealand would like to send revolutionary greetings to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on the 43rd anniversary of the founding of the front.
 
On this occasion we would like to acknowledge the leadership provided by the PFLP to the national movement, and their unwavering struggle for a free democratic secular socialist Palestine. We remember and recognise the leadership provided by George Habash and Abu Ali Mustafa, and continue to call for the release of the current General Secretary Ahmad Sa’adat, who was recently condemned to further isolation by a Zionist military court.
 
We beleive it is more important than ever to challenge ‘Terrorism’ laws that condemn National Liberation Movements such as the PFLP as terrorists. Terrorist Legislation can only be seen as a part of a system that is used to maintain the imperialist powers spheres of influence in the third world, including Palestine. And the truth is that many of the Liberation Movements condemned as terrorists represent a direct threat to western control of third world resources, economies and politics and thus the maintenance of capitalism worldwide.

To all comrades in the PFLP, it’s supporters, workers and peasants fighting for a free Palestine, we take this opportunity to salute you.”

Mike Walker

On the 12th of October 2010 John Key designated “a further seven international terrorist groups under the Terrorism Suppression Act”.  He claimed it helped “implement our international obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373″. Under this pretence the addition of Palestinian organisations, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the military wing of Hamas (Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades), to the New Zealand list of designated terrorists, is especially problematic. To highlight the hypocrisy and contradiction involved in these designations I will examine parts of the Terrorist Designations Working Groups (TDWG) paper; “Statement of case to designate the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as a terrorist entity”.

Terrorist Acts

A terrorist act is defined in the ‘Terrorist Suppression Act (TSA)’, section five, as an act which is carried out “for the purpose of advancing an ideological, political, or religious cause” or to “induce terror in a civilian population.” With outcomes such as “the death of, or serious bodily injury to, one or more persons”, “a serious risk to the health or safety of a population” or the “destruction of, or serious damage to, property of great value or importance, or major economic loss, or major environmental damage”.  The case to designate PIJ features two case studies, used to highlight terrorist acts and support the case for designation.

Gaza Rocket Resistance

The first case study concentrates on a “Rocket campaign into southern Israel”. The case study details that during the “Gaza conflict”, “…these rockets killed 3 Israeli civilians. Between the year 2001 and May 2009 the rockets killed a total of 16 Israeli civilians. Since 2007, when a majority of Palestinians voted for Hamas, Israel has maintained a complete siege of Gaza that the United Nations has called a “crisis of human dignity”. Article 33 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions states that “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed.” The Goldstone report on operation ‘Cast Lead’ stated that Israel used the “application of disproportionate force and the causing of great damage and destruction to civilian property and infrastructure, and suffering to civilian populations.” It details deliberate Israeli attacks on hospitals, schools, ambulances, civilian infrastructure and the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields. It also confirms the deaths of over 1600 Palestinian civilians, one hundred times the number of Israelis killed in almost a decade of rocket attacks. Israel’s ‘Cast Lead’ operation and the siege of Gaza, by definition, would appear to contradict not only international law, but would fit the TSA’s definition of a terrorist act.

Resistance to illegal settlers

The second case study details the “shooting of security guards at Nitzanei Shalom Industrial Park”. The document details that the “the Park is situated on the Palestinian side of the West bank border”, making it an Israeli settlement in occupied Palestine. The settlements in the West Bank that these security guards are paid to protect are in direct violation of Article 49 of the fourth Geneva Convention which states that “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” The case study sees the Israeli settlers, and their protectors, as a benign actor in the conflict. This is far from the truth, since the settlers are both armed and violent.

A recent report by Defence of Children International concludes that “Apart from the loss of land taken for the settlements and their related infrastructure, settler violence, such as beatings, shootings and destruction of property are a common occurrence in the lives of Palestinians, including children.” From March 2008 until July 2010 there were 38 documented incidents of Israeli settlers targeting Palestinian children resulting in 45 deaths. The acts “serve a political and strategic goal, and are carried out by ideological settlers”. Once again this would seem to fit the definition of a terrorist act.

The case for designation against PIJ then adds that these types of attacks carried out by Palestinian armed groups have an objective of compelling “Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territories”.  This is an overt political motive which supposedly supports the acts’ definition as a terrorist one. But what is missing is that the Palestinian objective is in line with International Law, whereas the Israeli objective is in direct contravention.

The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) & Violent Self-Determination

The TSA provides for one caveat to the definition of a terrorist act, being that it “is not an act that occurs in a situation of armed conflict…in accordance with rules of international law applicable to the conflict.” The document seeks to answer the question “does the LOAC apply?” This relates firstly to a “key distinction between armed conflict and other internal disturbances”, related to the “level, kind and consistency of violence”. It then comes to the conclusion “that it is not clear…whether that conflict is an international or non-international one”.

The case study attempts to brush aside over 60 years of armed resistance to the state of Israel, concluding that “outside of the combat period” (of ‘Cast Lead’) the resistance does “not meet the threshold to be considered an armed conflict”. In a report produced by the International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL), it refutes the test applied by the TSA in determination of Armed Conflict and the intensity of hostilities:

As to the condition that the liberation movement should attain a minimum of effectiveness as a belligerent, i.e. it should be a party to a real on-going armed conflict: it is the whole approach of the Conventions that international armed conflicts are defined not as a function of the degree of intensity of hostilities, but in terms of its parties and the type of relations existing among them. It does not appear as a requirement in either Article 1 or Article 96 nor for that matter common Article 2 of the Conventions.

It is also clear that this is an international conflict. The UN General Assembly passed Resolution 3103 (XXVIII) which states:

The armed conflicts involving the struggle of peoples against colonial and alien domination and racist regimes are to be regarded as international armed conflicts in the sense of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

The United Nations has also on many occasions reaffirmed the right for people to struggle, with violence if necessary. General Assembly Resolution 2649 (XXV) affirmed the “legitimacy of the struggles of peoples under colonial and alien domination recognised as being entitled to the right to self-determination to restore to themselves that right by any means at their disposal.” Resolution 3070 (XXVIII) of 30th November 1973 reaffirmed the right to struggle for self-determination “by all means, including armed struggle,” while Resolution 2787 (XXVI) in 1971 sought to clarify further, with the General Assembly identifying and recognising the legal characteristics of armed conflicts as wars of national liberation, i.e. involving peoples against colonial and alien domination and racist regimes, explicitly including those in South Africa and involving ‘the Palestinian people’.

The ‘Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning the Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States’ resolves what would appear to be a controversial issue posed by cases of violent self-determination. It  clearly states “that the ‘forcible action’ or force which is prohibited by Article 2, paragraph 4 of the Charter is not that used by people struggling for self-determination but that which is resorted to by the colonial or alien governments to deny them self-determination.” This in itself would provide for an interesting caveat to all of the designations so far in this country, putting the focus on the violence and brutality of the oppressor with their modern armies and war machines, and not the guerrilla struggles of the oppressed.

The “Geneva Declaration on Terrorism” further reiterates this concept stating that the “terrorism of modern states and their high-technology weapons is far worse than the political violence practiced by groups who want to end oppression and live in freedom.” It concludes that “it is a cruel extension of the scourge of terrorism to classify the struggle against terrorism as ‘terrorism’.”

International Law and the state of Israel

Why would you try to manipulate clear distinctions regarding the nature of the conflict and attempt to label it non-international? The answer is simpler than it would seem. If this is defined as an International conflict the LOAC and thus the Geneva Conventions apply, which validates the Palestinian National Liberation Struggle and condemns the Israeli state to being the terrorist.

It should be patently obvious that International Law is vigorously applied to one side and ignored for the other. So while useful for highlighting the contradictions and hypocrisy involved in terrorist legislation, it also needs to be put into its own context. Terrorist Legislation should be seen as a part of a system that is used to maintain the imperialist powers’ spheres of influence in the third world. The truth is that many of the liberation movements condemned as terrorists represent a direct threat to western control of third world resources and politics and thus the maintenance of capitalism worldwide.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Solidarity Campaign is happy to announce the release of the first part of an interview with Leila Khaled. PFLP Solidarity Campaign co-ordinator Mike Walker conducted the interview via Skype with Leila at her home in Amman, Jordan on the 6^th April this year.

Leila Khaled is often referred to as a terrorist by her enemies, the United States and the State of Israel. But in the Occupied Territories, the Gaza Strip and the countless refugee camps scattered throughout the Arab world she is a revolutionary hero, a freedom fighter and the embodiment of the Palestinian militant struggle against Zionism and Imperialism in the Middle East and for freedom and self-determination.

Leila Khaled and the PFLP shot to international attention when Leila became the first woman to hi-jack a commercial airliner on August 29^th 1969. Leila made the pilot divert the plane over Haifa, where she was born but has never been allowed to visit, eventually allowing the plane to land in Damascus, Syria. The passengers were disembarked and the plane was blown up in front of the international media. Golda Meir had stated that June that “There was no such thing as Palestinians”, but Leila Khaled and the PFLP had put the Palestinian struggle firmly onto the world stage, where it could no longer be ignored.

Today Leila is a core member of the PFLP and serves on its Politburo, dealing primarily with the ‘right of return’ for Palestinian refugees. Walker stated that “Leila is a true revolutionary woman that has dedicated her life to the struggle of Palestinians for their right to self-determination, and to return home.” “Leila is an inspiration to us all,” he continued.

Leila Khaled finished the interview by stating that she had “a message for the New Zealanders.” She then warned that we should all “beware Zionism. Nazism caused humanity twenty two million casualties and the destruction of Europe. What do you think that Zionism will do, do we need a third world war? We have to stop the expansion of the Zionist ideology and policy.”

The interview is available at http://wpnz-pflp-solidarity.blogspot.com/p/leila-khaled-interview.html

A full transcript or audio is available on request.

Comrade Maher al-Taher, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and leader of its branch outside Palestine, said on August 20, 2010 that the goal of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is to liquidate the Palestinian cause, not to reach a political solution, noting that it is clear from the events and actions of Israel that it is impossible to reach a political solution with an entity that demands total control of all aspects of Palestinian existence.

Said Comrade Taher, “After 40 years of slogans demanding an independent Palestinian decision, today the Palestinian Authority is a subject of the U.S. and Israel and we are a nation of prisoners. This is a great risk to the Palestinian cause.” It was clear, Comrade Taher said, that the Authority would enter these direct negotiations when the Higher Arab Follow-up Commission approved of them, saying that the statement issued by the Quartet in favor of these negotiations is farcical nonsense; it is clear that nothing will come of these negotiations except for harm to the Palestinian cause and such statements exist only to provide a fig leaf to cover the return to negotiations and an excuse for a shameful betrayal.

He emphasized that by returning to these negotiations, the Authority is entering a dark tunnel through which only it will provide concessions. Comrade Taher said, “What will come of these negotiations – the occupation will withdraw from Jerusalem?? It will recognize the right of return?? Unless there is to be any real gain, these negotiations are absurd!”

Comrade Taher said further that the action of the Executive Committee of the PLO in approving these negotiations makes it clear that independent Palestinian decision-making and democracy is a farce in these institutions, as the Palestinian people have clearly expressed their rejection of negotiations. He said that our people are determined to stand fast on our own land and that the PFLP will demand an end to this farce and take action, not only issue statements. Palestinian factions at home and abroad are committed to joint action against these negotiations, he said, noting that there is widespread refusal to return to negotiations while Israel builds settlements and Judaizes Jerusalem under the presence and authority of a U.S. agenda aimed at the entire region based on liquidation of national rights.

He concluded by saying that it is clear that our national priority must be to end the division and continue the resistance, saying that the Palestinian people will resist any attempts to give up their national rights through widespread popular refusal and rejection of the return to negotiations.

Comrade Abu Ahmad Fuad, member of the Political Bureau of the PFLP, also said on August 21, 2010 that the PA’s entering into direct negotiations with Israel is a stab in the back of the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the resolutions of the Central Council and the will of the Palestinian people. Comrade Fuad emphasized that PLO officials are refusing to abide by any sense of democratic regulation or the decisions of the Central Council or the National Council. Comrade Fuad emphasized that the majority of factions in the PLO have opposed direct negotiations, and that any approval of negotiations in an Executive Committee meetings where more than half of the members are absent is illegal in form and content.

The PFLP condemned the Quartet’s statement in support of direct negotiations, saying that it represents a tacit acceptance of settlements and siege, and full of nothing more than empty slogans about “peace” while the rights of the Palestinian people to return, independence and self-determination are being violated daily. Furthermore, the Front said in its statement, the Quartet is attempting to waive international law and UN resolutions and replace international legitimacy with its own dubious authority, saying that the Quartet has no legitimate or legal authority over the Palestinian people and cause.

The Front stressed that Palestinian factions, national consensus and the decisions of the Central Council all uphold a refusal to return to negotiations, saying that such negotiations only serve the plans of the Netanyahu regime to violate Palestinian rights further under a false excuse of “economic peace and security.”

The Front’s statement emphasized that such negotiations are a dangerous trick and an attempt to force new concessions from the Palestinian people while providing cover for occupation crimes. Furthermore, the PFLP said, these negotiations are an attempt to serve the interests and plans of the U.S. for control and hegemony in the region, including consolidating and deepening internal Palestinian divisions, and betraying the sacrifices of the martyred, wounded and prisoners of our people.

The Front’s statement concluded by calling on the Palestinian people everywhere, inside Palestine and in exile and diaspora, and all national and Islamic forces and institutions to raise their vigilance and take urgent actions to reject any indirect or direct negotiations. It said that a clear, serious, responsible and bold rejection of the entire path of Oslo and all of the results built upon its foundations is necessary, including its replacement with a national strategy that prioritizes the rights of our Palestinian people and reorganizes the Palestinian house in one united, democratic Palestine Liberation Organization including all Palestinian national and Islamic forces, preserving the rights of our people to resist, end the occupation and settlements, free our prisoners, achieve the right of return and establish our independent, sovereign Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.

Its all happening on Friday the 20th of August, Bentley’s Bar, Canterbury University. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with door sales available on the night or pre sales available via Paypal at http://wpnz-pflp-solidarity.blogspot.com/p/david-rovics-don-franks.html

You can check out info about other shows David is doing in New Zealand at http://davidrovicsnz2010.wordpress.com/

David Rovics grew up in a family of classical musicians in Wilton, Connecticut, and became a fan of populist regimes early on. By the early 90s he was a full-time busker in the Boston subways and by the mid-90s he was traveling the world as a professional flat-picking rabble-rouser. These days David lives with his family in Portland, Oregon and tours regularly on four continents, playing for audiences large and small at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union halls and protest rallies.

He has shared the stage with a veritable of who’s who of the left in two dozen countries, and has had his music featured on Democracy Now!, BBC, Al- Jazeera and other networks. His essays are published regularly on CounterPunch, and the 200+ songs he makes available for free on the web have been downloaded more than a million times.

Most importantly, he’s really good. He will make you laugh, he will make you cry, he will make the revolution irresistible. David provides his songs free of charge from www.davidrovics.com

In Christchurch he will be joined by folk stalwart Don Franks. Addressing issues relevant to people in New Zealand today, Franks builds on the tradition of political folk, adding an air of spontaneity and healthy dose of tounge-in-cheek humor. Listeners will be treated to a selection from Franks’ sizeable repetoire, including hits from his 2009 album ‘Safer Communities Together Blues’. The gig is being held in conjunction with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine SOlidarity Campaign.

David Rovics had the following to say about the PFLP: “The criminalization of the PFLP and other organizations by various governments is sheer hypocrisy. These same governments are signatories to UN conventions that make it clear — the PFLP and the Palestinian people generally are not criminals. They are resisting a criminal occupation — it is the militaristic, apartheid state of Israel which is the criminal here, which needs to be treated as such, not the PFLP.” – David Rovics, singer-songwriter So come along and show your support for the Palestinian struggle against the Zionist state of Israel, and be treated to a night of entertainment by two of the best ‘rabble rousers’ around

Occupation and Resistance

Photos from ‘ActiveStills Photography Collective’ (Israel)

August 15 – 21 Linwood Community Arts Centre, Corner of Stanmore Rd and Worcester St.

Opening Sunday August 15th 5pm-7pm Normal hours 12-4pm weekdays and 12-3pm Sunday.

Free Entry

On the 31st of May commandos from the Israeli Defence Force stormed a boat carrying aid and activists to the besieged Gaza strip, opening fire and killing 9 people on board. In a typical official Israeli response, Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon accused the flotilla’s organisers of `having ties to Hamas and al-Qaeda terror organisations’. This has been followed by so-called `universal condemnation’ of the attack by the `International Community’ and calls for an end to the siege. In practical terms this means allowing more goods into the Gaza Strip. What it doesn’t mean is an end to Israeli control of the borders, the airspace, the coastal waters and literally every aspect of Palestinian life.

Zionism

The seeds of the modern day conflict between the Zionist state of Israel and Arab resistance were firmly planted not in 1948, but with early Jewish settlers. Ahad Ha’Am (Asher Ginsberg) was a Russian Jew and Zionist, and a very prominent pre-state Zionist thinker, who visited Palestine from 1891 onwards. He explained that the Jewish settlers “treat the Arabs with hostility and cruelty, rob them of their rights in a dishonest way, hurt them without reason and then pride themselves on such actions.” He concluded that “no one attacks this despicable and dangerous tendency…” Why this aggression against the indigenous population of Palestine? The answer to this question lies in what Zionists are attempting to do in Palestine which was summarised by David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of the Israeli state, in the introduction to `The History of the Haganah’. He wrote:

“At the present time we speak of colonisation, and only of colonisation. It is our short-term objective. But it is clear that England belongs to the English, Egypt to the Egyptians and Judea to the Jews. We will say to the Arabs: `Move Over’; if they are not in agreement, if they resist, we will push them by force.”

The Israeli state is the modern manifestation of the Zionist colonial project that early Jewish settlers spearheaded in the late 1800s. Its actions throughout its history, the continuing oppression of Palestinians and the outlandish attack on solidarity activists should not be seen in isolation from Zionist goals in the Middle East.

Imperialist domination Prior to WWI

Chaim Weizmann, an early Zionist political leader, recognised that for the Zionist project to succeed in Palestine it would require, an `intermediary stage’ during which the `fair country of Palestine will be protected by such a Mighty and just Power as Great Britain.’ He explained that `under the wing of this power, Jews will be able to develop, and to set up the administrative machinery which…would enable us to carry out the Zionist scheme.’ Under the British mandate in Palestine and with the protection and political support of British imperialism the foundation of the Zionist state was firmly laid. In fact Zionism’s expulsion of three quarters of a million Palestinians, al-nakba, and declaration of statehood in 1948 could not have been achieved without the British quashing of a Palestinian revolt, which had lasted from 1936 until 1939.

The post-WWII balance of world power shifted and Zionism proved to be politically dynamic, as it was able to realign itself with the new dominant imperial power, the United States. The US State Department noted in 1945 that oil reserves in the Middle East constitute “a stupendous source of strategic power, and one of the greatest material prizes in world history.” In 1973 Senator Henry Jackson exposed American reliance on Israel to defend these interests, stating that its job was to “inhibit and contain those irresponsible and radical elements in certain Arab States….who, were they free to do so, would pose a grave threat indeed to our principal sources of petroleum in the Persian Gulf”. Today the United States provides $US three billion in military aid every year to Israel, and has helped Israel to build one of the most powerful militaries in the world. In exchange Israel was, and continues to be, America’s “attack dog” in the Middle East and protector of American interests. Imperialist backers also provide political cover. Barack Obama’s administration recently blocked a Security Council resolution to have the flotilla raid impartially investigated, suggesting instead that Israel investigate itself.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly seized on this opportunity to clear Israel of wrong-doing and announced a commission featuring three elders of the Israeli state and two international observers, one of whom recently joined the `Friends of Israel’ in Britain. The United States hailed the decision and released a statement saying that “Israel has a military justice system that meets international standards and is capable of conducting a serious and credible investigation.” A fair investigation by Israel into the events leading to the deaths of nine activists and into the legality of the siege of Gaza, is highly unlikely. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine called the Israeli commission a “transparent attempt to justify murder and piracy”. Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, ran an article which surmised that the intention was to “placate the world…especially the United States.”

Investigating the raid on the freedom flotilla

Calls for `investigations’ though, regardless of who conducts them, expose a blatant and recurring amnesia in the West in terms of Israeli violations of Palestinian rights. In September 2009 a UN fact finding mission presented its findings to the Council of Human Rights in Geneva, after impartially investigating Israel’s “Operation Cast Lead”. Known as the Goldstone Report it concluded that “The tactics used by Israeli military armed forces in the Gaza offensive are consistent with previous practice”, which was described as the “application of disproportionate force and the causing of great damage and destruction to civilian property and infrastructure, and suffering to civilian populations.” This was unacceptable to the United States so the House of Representatives passed a resolution stating that “the report [was] irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy.” The US pledged to “stand by Israel in the fight against the Goldstone Report“, and the reach of American influence was visible when the Palestinian Authority also deferred endorsing the report’s findings. Any investigation that condemns Israeli actions will realistically be ostracised by the US, Israel and its allies rendering it impotent.

A complete end to Israel’s brutality?

While we should condemn the killing of the flotilla activists, we should also remember that Palestinians face this kind of oppression and brutality every day of their lives at the hands of the Israeli state, as it continues its expansionist project that is funded and politically supported by the world’s imperialist powers. It is time to start concentrating on the real causes of their oppression and the means by which Israel’s domination is maintained in the Middle East.

For immediate release, Wednesday 28^th April 2010

Protest outside the Israeli embassy in Wellington

The Campaign of Solidarity with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine stands in solidarity with the struggling masses in Palestine, and wishes to make its intentions known that we will actively oppose the newly established Zionist embassy in Wellington. As long as Zionism is politically active and furthering its colonialist ambitions in Palestine any Israeli state institution or embassy here will be targeted for protest action.

The embassy is a logical extension of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is headed by the extreme anti-Arab racist Avigdor Lieberman, who heads the right wing Yisrael Beitenu party in the Israeli Knesset. Lieberman has a long history of Anti-Arab racism calling Arab members of the Knesset “terror collaborators” and calling for their execution. He stated that Palestinian prisoners should be “drowned in the Dead Sea” and as acting transport minister at the time that he would provide the buses to take them there. Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism called Lieberman’s recent election campaign “an outrageous, abominable, hate-filled campaign, brimming with incitement that, if left unchecked, could lead Israel to the gates of hell.”

Not only does the Israeli Embassy provide a mouth piece for Racist Zionist ideology in New Zealand, but it also provides a sanctuary for the far reaching arm of the Israeli Mossad. It should not be forgotten that as recently as 2004 Israeli Mossad agents attempted to obtain New Zealand passports on false grounds under the name of a tetraplegic who had not spoken in years. One can only surmise the intentions of the Mossad agents if they had gained access to New Zealand passports, but as was recently highlighted in Britain, the Mossad carries out the Israeli state’s targeted assassinations of Palestinian political leaders, attempting, as the PFLP describe it, to “eradicate, dispossess and to destroy the Palestinian people and their national movement by any means.”

Recently campaign co-ordinator Mike Walker spoke to PFLP politburo member Leila Khaled who called on the New Zealand government and “all peace lovers in New Zealand”, to “act against opening such an Embassy.” Walker stated that “there will be no peace for representatives of Zionism in New Zealand” and that “the racist state of Israel needs to be isolated internationally, not embraced.”

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine released the following statement:

“The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine calls upon the people of New Zealand to reject the new, proposed Israeli embassy in Wellington. This embassy is far from innocuous – it is the official state representation of the ongoing war crimes being waged against the Palestinian people, a representative institution for land theft, siege, occupation, oppression and racism. Israeli embassies around the world are a center for war crimes, a welcome space for war criminals, and they legitimize the ongoing illegitimate occupation of Palestinian land.

Just as the people of the world demanded the isolation of apartheid South Africa, rejecting diplomatic ties with the apartheid racist regime, it is time to internationally isolate Israel and cut diplomatic ties with this state of racist hatred. The Palestinian people call upon you to act in solidarity with our struggle against oppression and reject the Israeli embassy in New Zealand, following the example provided by Venezuela and Bolivia, in cutting all diplomatic ties with the racist state.

This is a meaningful, powerful and principled expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle for justice, return and liberation. We call upon you today to support the call for justice in Palestine and internationally isolate Israel.”

Members of the Workers Party carried a PFLP banner, and called for the release of Ah’mad Sa’adat the Palestinian resistance leader who has a jail sentence of 30 years.

Due to the generosity and support of progressive people in New Zealand for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Palestinian cause, the PFLP solidarity campaign are happy to announce the first transfer of funds. One Thousand NZ Dollars raised by the campaign has been received by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine for their use in whatever manner they deem most effective in resisting ongoing Israeli oppression, racism and military occupation.

Wellington March 2010 protesting imprisonment of PFLP leader

The majority of the money has been raised through the sale of “Resistance is not Terrorism” t-shirts throughout the country. A new t-shirt is being designed featuring Leila Khaled, PFLP activist and resistant fighter, and will be released at a nationwide launch on the anniversary of the creation of the Zionist state of Israel, known by Palestinians as the “Nakba”, or catastrophe, on May 15th.

The campaign opposes the re-establishment of an Israeli embassy or any diplomatic relations with the Zionist state and deplores a recent announcement by Murray McCully, that a Working Holiday Scheme will “deepen our tourism and education links, and over time contribute to growth in our bilateral commercial, trade and investment links” with Israel.

PFLP sends thanks for New Zealand solidarity

Campaign co-ordinator Mike Walker stated that “instead of extending diplomatic ties with Israel we should be cutting them altogether, following the examples of Venezuela and Bolivia” .

The campaign seeks to challenge the political paradigm that allows legitimate National Liberation movements to be labelled as terrorist organisations, and the undemocratic way in which terrorist laws are administered. Prime Minister John Key recently added organisations to the ‘terrorist list’ in New Zealand, with no consultation, justifying it by stating they engaged in “terrorist acts including the indiscriminate killing of civilians and assassination of political leaders.” This statement lacks any credibility when New Zealand’s government seeks to strengthen links with the state of Israel that targets and kills political leaders, trade unionists, writers, cultural exemplars, community activists, local leaders, and student organisers while waging an economic and military war against a civilian population that has been under the tyranny of the longest running illegal military occupation in recent history.

Walker stated that by funding the Palestinian Resistance movement directly “people in New Zealand can stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their resistance, however that manifests itself”, while supporting the PFLP “and its vision of a single secular state in all of Palestine, where all people regardless of race, gender or religious beliefs have equal rights.” ENDS

For more information Campaign Co-ordinators Mike Walker e-mail: mwalker964@gmail.com ph: (03) 3828018 cell: 0272461493 Paul Hopkinson Email: Phopkinson@paradise.net.nz Ph: 027 330 8439 Cell: 027 230 8439