The board of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund is wrong in its decision to divest funds from Israeli banks. Because of coercion from a movement that has been blacklisted as anti-Semitic by some governments including Germany, the board has been lured into the murky swamp of Palestinian politics. The BDS—Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions—organisation’s modus operandi has also been harshly criticised and/or banned by the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, and others because of its biased anti-Semitic nature. The purpose of BDS is not a two-state solution, but the elimination of the Jewish State—“from the River to the Sea Palestine will be free!”. Their version of a future Palestinian map confirms this popular chant; Israel completely vanishes. I know that first-hand and so does the Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa. It is unfair that the NZ Super Fund should prejudge disputed territory as final status belonging to the Palestinians, when signed agreements between Israel and the PLO state that final status will only be arrived at through direct negotiations—something the Palestinian Authority has been deliberately avoiding for some time now. I trust the NZ Super Fund board will see the light and rescind its decision.
- Nigel Woodley, Hawkes Bay T0day, 06 March 2021
