Gaza

Fake News: TVNZ caught misleading about Gaza blockade status

TVNZ has copped a spanking from the Broadcasting Standards Authority for describing the blockade of Gaza as illegal…when it is not.

Shalom.Kiwi explains:

The Broadcasting Standards Authority has upheld a complaint concerning TVNZ’s coverage of the Israeli maritime blockade of Gaza, on the basis that it breached the required standard of accuracy by stating the blockade of Gaza is “illegal”. In doing so it set out some important expectations:

Broadcasters should refrain from making unequivocal statements of fact on issues that are the subject of international dispute, to ensure viewers are not misled. This is particularly so in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where a broadcaster’s use of labels and descriptions can have a significant impact on the audience’s understanding, and views on, the conflict.NZ Broadcasting Standards Authority Ruling 2016-087

In September 2016, Green Party MP Marama Davidson participated in the “Women’s Peace Boat” to Gaza, whose purported aim was to break the blockade and highlight Gaza’s humanitarian issues. Ms Davidson and her Kia Ora Gaza-facilitated mission was covered on at least three occasions by Te Karere, a Maori language news and current affairs programme broadcast by New Zealand’s state-owned television broadcaster TVNZ. Her subsequent detention by Israel, in anticipation of which Ms Davidson had pre-recorded an emotionally-charged statement about the “Israeli oppression forces” taking the group “hostage” and “kidnapping” it, garnered political reactions and extensive media attention.  Read more »

While Hamas-hugging Green party MP Marama Davidson has been detained, Israel has come under rocket attack from Gaza.

The Israeli Navy on Wednesday evening took over control of a boat of women activists that was headed to Gaza as a protest against Israel’s security blockade of the coastal strip.

The IDF confirmed the takeover.

The boat was commandeered without violence or any resistance from the 13 activists onboard, the army said.

It was intercepted some 35 nautical miles (65 kilometers) from the Gaza coast, and was making its way slowly toward the Israeli port of Ashdod.

The group of 13 women, including 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire, was traveling aboard the Zaytouna-Oliva sailboat in the Mediterranean Sea toward the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave.

“In accordance with government directives and after exhausting all diplomatic channels, the Israeli Navy redirected the vessel in order to prevent breach of the lawful maritime blockade,” the IDF said in a statement.

“In accordance with international law, the Israeli Navy advised the vessel numerous times to change course prior to the action. Following their refusal the Navy visited and searched the vessel in international waters in order to prevent their intended breach of the lawful maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip. The visit and search of the vessel was uneventful,” the statement concluded.

Women soldiers were placed at the forefront of the navy’s interception force, Israel Radio reported, in order to minimize friction with the activists.

The activists put up a website carrying prepared “SOS messages” by those on board alleging they had been “kidnapped” by the IDF.

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Sheree Trotter (Te Arawa) writes at Shalom.Kiwi:

Davidson has aligned herself with an organisation that is little more than a hate group. Kia Ora Gaza leader, Roger Fowler, has expressed support for a one-state solution (the dismantling of the world’s only Jewish state), has compared Israel to Islamic State, has publicly supported a “third intifada”, and has justified violence against Israeli civilians. This is not an organisation committed to peace and human rights.

For Māori who oppose Kia Ora Gaza’s hatred of Israel, the co-opting of Te Reo Måori for their cause is deeply offensive. Historically, Māori have had strong connections with the Jewish people. Indeed the struggle of the Jews gave inspiration to many of our tipuna, and several indigenous prophetic movements in the 19th century were established on the Jewish model. The return of Jews to their ancient homeland has been an inspiring example for many indigenous peoples. Even though the Jewish people experienced expulsion and dispossession, they never abandoned their hope of return, and a small Jewish remnant kept ahi kaa in the land over many centuries of dispersal. The rebirth of Hebrew has been an inspiration for the revitalisation of Te Reo Māori in Aotearoa.

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A motion without notice was put forward by Catherine Delahunty this week regarding the Women’s peace boat to Gaza that Marama Davidson is going on. She asked the National Party in private if they were okay with it and they said no. Normally that would be the end of it but she still asked leave to make the motion in order to grandstand. Her lack of co-ordination and co-operation was mentioned by the speaker.

The boat to Gaza is nothing but a giant virtue signal by people who care more about how things look than about actually making a difference. Marama Davis is a fool who has ignored all the facts that have been helpfully sent to her on Facebook. She is determined to have her day in the spotlight and Catherine Delahunty was prepared to give the National party the metaphorical fingers in order to help her.

Woman relaxing on cruise ship

I wish I could go on a relaxing cruise. Marama gets to hang out with other Social justice bullies, sipping Chardonnay and feeling virtuous. Meanwhile, nothing changes for the Palestinian women still oppressed by Hamas and the religion of peace.

The truly sad part is that these aging hippie activists are really going in order to make a scene when the inevitable happens and the Israelis enforce their legal blockade. I hope the Israeli soldiers don’t get hurt by the boney old crones aboard the ship. I suggest that they bring ear plugs because the screeching is going to be weapons grade.

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Shalom.Kiwi reports:

In August we reported on the breaking news that the director of World Vision in Gaza, Mohammed El-Halabi (pictured with Mike McRoberts), was arrested by Israel for allegedly diverting tens of millions of dollars of aid and donations to Hamas terror.

When the allegations broke, World Vision announced it was “shocked” and said it has “no reason to believe” they are true but will “carefully review any evidence presented to us” and “take appropriate action based on that evidence”. World Vision has now suspended operations in Gaza and 120 staff have been laid off.

This follows Israel freezing World Vision bank accounts in Jerusalem. Other governments have also taken the allegations seriously – Australia and Germany halted funding to World Vision, with representatives from both countries making strong statements:

World Vision massively damages the trust necessary for aid work for the people in Gaza … Hamas is a terrorist organization, which should not be financed with taxpayer funds.” – Volker Beck, German Green Party MP

Any diversion of the generous support of the Australian and international community for military or terrorist purposes by Hamas is to be deplored and can only harm the Palestinian people.” – Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade   Read more »

Shalom.Kiwi posts about the nine things that Marama Davidson needs to learn or understand before she makes her “stand”.

Green Party MP, Marama Davidson, is soon to depart on the “women’s peace boat” in an attempt to breach Israel’s legal maritime blockade of Gaza and raise awareness of the Palestinian cause. However, press releases from the Green Party and Ms Davidson seem to lack awareness of some fundamental facts, so we thought we would help them become better acquainted with the truth.

1. Jews are indigenous to Israel

In the Green Party press statement, Ms Davidson said she is joining the boat “as an indigenous woman” to support the women of Gaza. However she appears unaware of the Jewish people’s 3,000 year historical connection with the land of Israel, which expulsion and dispersal failed to destroy. Since the most recent expulsion by the Romans 2,000 years ago, faithful Jews have prayed three times daily, and annually on special festivals for a return to their maunga (sacred mountains), their whenua (ancestral land). This is the longing of an indigenous people.

The Jewish state of Israel is considered by many to be the role model for indigenous peoplesseeking a return to their ancient homelands. While most were dispersed to foreign lands, Israel hasalways retained a small number of Jews, keeping the fires burning (ahi kaa) for an eventual return to land over which they had mana whenua. Jews, like many other indigenous peoples, were under occupation, a minority in their own land for many centuries. The revitalisation of the indigenous language (Hebrew) is an inspiration to indigenous language advocates worldwide, including Måori.

If there is a people group that knows and understands discrimination, persecution, dispossession, expulsion, occupation and genocide, it is the Jewish people. The re-establishment of the Jewish state was an existential necessity that was internationally recognised and ultimately granted by the United Nations. In the face of an alarming rise in anti-Semitism worldwide, the state of Israel as the Jewish homeland, continues to be a necessity.

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UPDATE: my interpretation in my article of the publically available figures was based on the below CEO statement from World Vision. I believed that the statement was referring to the total budget for Jerusalem-West Bank and Gaza ( JWG ) as the three are put together as if it is a single budget and a single office in other statements. I have since been told by World Vision that the Gaza budget is separate but despite a request for the figures for Jerusalem and West Bank  the figures have not been made available to us.

Whatever the actual figures are the key point of my article still stands. The amount is irrelevant and how much each office got doesn’t actually matter. What is of concern is that a significant amount of money intended to help people in JWG ended up in terrorist hands. World Vision should be focussing on that rather than quibbling about the actual figure stolen.

The international CEO statement from World Vision says,

World Vision’s cumulative operating budget in Gaza for the past ten years was approximately US$22.5 million, which makes the alleged amount of up to US$50 million being diverted hard to reconcile.”

-World Vision Press release

In reality how much the Israelis claim was funneled to Hamas from World Vision doesn’t really matter. What the public are concerned about is whether or not money intended to help people ended up in the pockets of terrorists.

I cannot comment on how much money ended up in terrorist hands but I can look at how much money was given by World Vision to their Gaza office.
In 2012 according to this screenshot World Vision spent more than 50% of their 10 year budget on Jerusalem West Bank Gaza, giving that office 12.3 Million dollars.

***Note how the below screenshot says JWG  which stands for Jerusalem West Bank Gaza.
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We have been contacted by World Vision regarding this post. 

You can read their Press release on the topic here.

Due to the seriousness of the allegations World Vision says that they have already suspended operations in Gaza.

The man allegedly responsible for the theft of millions of dollars from the charity World Vision, was featured by Mike McRoberts in his videos from Gaza. Mike McRobert’s TV 3 videos helped raise money in New Zealand for World Vision and if the allegations are true, 60% of World Vision’s fundraising was funneled directly to the terrorist arm of Hamas.

World Vision received more than $7M in grants from the New Zealand Government. How much of that money ended up in Palestine is anyones guess if the claims are true.

The New Zealand government has given more than $7m in grants to World Vision over the past two years. There has been no statement from any New Zealand officials at the time of publishing about whether this support will continue or not in light of the allegations…

…The director of the Gaza branch of World Vision, Mohammed El-Halabi, was arrested by the Israeli internal secret service for allegedly diverting tens of millions of dollars of World Vision funds to the terrorist arm of Hamas.

It is reported that during the investigation El-Halabi admitted that he had been a member of Hamas since his youth, had undergone military training and had been commissioned by Hamas to infiltrate World Vision. He also reportedly admitted that his father, Halil El-Halabi, who had served as head of UNWRA’s educational institutions in the Gaza Strip for years, was a member of Hamas and used his position as a UN employee to help the terrorist organization.

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It is well known that Iran supplies Hamas with weapons, but it appears that they are also sharing weapons technology and designs with the North Koreans.

Hamas claimed recently it has created its own tank, repurposing parts of another tank captured from Israel Defense Forces two years ago

The vehicle was put on public display during a parade last week at the funeral of seven Hamas members, killed during a tunnel collapse near the Israeli border.

A Hamas leader told the assembled crowd: “The Tufah neighbourhood (in Gaza) has a long story with enemy tanks, and therefore, we are preparing ourselves for the day we shall meet those tanks … Let the locally-produced vehicle move forward.”    Read more »

Sheikh Muhammad Sallah “Abu Rajab” at the Al-Abrar Mosque in Rafah

No surprises here from adherent of the “religion of peace”.

A poll released on Monday found that two-thirds of Palestinians support the ongoing wave of stabbings against Israelis, while nearly the same percentage give a thumbs-up to the idea of an armed uprising, or intifada, against Israel.

France24 reports that a survey of 1,270 people in 127 randomly selected locations by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) reveals that 67 percent support the use of knives, while 66 percent of those asked said an armed intifada or uprising would “serve Palestinian national interests in ways that negotiations could not.”

On the up side, nearly three-quarters said they opposed the involvement of “young schoolgirls” in stabbings. How chivalrous of them.   Read more »