The historic slaughter of Oct 07 led by Hamas has exposed the face of radical Islamist terror for all to see. Yet, there are some Kiwis who have chosen to support the acts, or to focus their anger at Israel rather than the terrorists. Some of the people who have shown their hate for Israel are also teachers of our future politicians and officials.
Early morning on Oct 07, over 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel from the Gaza killing more than 1,200 people and seizing over 240 hostages of all ages. They attacked and brutally murdered innocent women, children, babies and elderly, set fire and kidnapped them into Gaza. Israel vowed that this brutality would never happen again.
Most Israelis are united and support the government in eliminating the terror group Hamas. But we find that not everyone is behind this vital expression of condemning this horrific act. Some are academic teachers at universities speaking out against Israel and teaching antisemitism. Some are even Kiwis who live here in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Dr Rod Pik, an Israeli / Kiwi doctor trained and worked in Israel, moved to New Zealand in 2017. He spoke at a recent rally for Palestine. His message saying ‘Every crime of the IDF is presented in the same idiotic narrative: they attacked; we fight back.’ He continued to say: ‘You don’t hear about the “Nakba”, you don’t know that the state of Israel was founded by a systematic, pre-planned act of ethnic cleansing. You don’t hear about the provocations that preceded the 1967 war, in which Israel over the West Bank and Gaza, as they have always planned to’. (ODT ref).
Maybe Dr Rod Pik should ask himself; What is he accomplishing by spewing more hatred into the situation. Does his speech help bring peace to the area and a sustainable resolution to this ongoing problem for the future? Was he chanting “From the River to the Sea” with the group? Probably not. Most likely he was the only person at the rally who actually understood the meaning, and he probably wouldn’t want genocide to his family that he has left behind in Israel. [1]
His statements are simply not true or “half-baked”. (See “The Jewish Nakba”). [2]
To understand the depth of this controversy, we must understand that Israel has lived in constant threat since its Independence. Six wars and numerous attacks were afflicted on the country since the 29th of November 1947 the date a two-state solution was proposed. On that day 33 countries voted in favour, and the resolution passed by the UN. Jewish people all over the world danced in the streets and celebrated the two-state solution, but the response from the Arab countries and the Arab leagues were the exact opposite. They rejected any prospect of peace or coexistence with the state of Israel.
Peace
Since Israel’s independence, there has been great progress toward peace. Signed peace treaties with Egypt (1979), Jordan (1994) and in 2020 the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan normalized relations. In 2023 Saudi Arabia was on the brink of a treaty with Israel too.
Hamas is not a country. Hamas is a terrorist group formed in 1987. “The Palestinian society has been hijacked by criminals and anybody who takes their side is participating in their crime”. says Mosab Hassan Yousef, the disowned son of Hamas co-founder. Since its creation, Hamas has invoked militant interpretations of Islam to spearhead a Sunni extremist movement committed to destroying Israel, and says initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time.
A glitter of hope
Most of the world is not aware of Arab-Palestinians and Israelis forming friendships and living in unity. In the Galilee, Jewish and Arab communities live in harmony one beside the other.
A letter from a Jewish friend living in the Galilee says:
“All around us in the Arab villages, (Yanuach, Gat, Tarshiha and Me-eliya), there is zero tension and everyone wants to help. There are no riots or protests going on, basically because we are all in the same situation, getting attacked by the Hamas and Hizballah. When they shoot their missiles or rockets, they really don’t care or think who they will hit, just as long as they hit”.
Steve H.
Western Galilee. January 2024
In our own backyard
The lack of accurate information is raging, but there are individuals who are fighting to combat the untruths. Yoseph Hadad, an Arab – Israeli who lives in Nazareth Israel, visited Auckland University during orientation week. He noticed club booths set up, each presenting their club’s interest and hoping to recruit more students to join. One of the clubs he saw was called “The Palestinian Club “. At the booth he came across a flier saying “Israeli apartheid”. He was very taken back by that statement, and was curious to know what the students who are representing these clubs, actually know about the reality in Israel.
He asked the girl representative sitting at The Palestinian Club, if he can ask her more about their club. First, she said “I’m not super knowledgeable”. He told her he went online to search the meaning of “Israel apartheid”, and said he couldn’t find a definite answer and wanted to ask at the booth where it is sourced. Yoseph was very polite and in an inquisitive manner asked; “Is there an apartheid in Israel”? She said “Yes definitely.” and continue to say “that is
my personal opinion”. Yoseph explains to her respectfully that an Israeli apartheid is a complete myth. He said “personal opinions don’t matter, what matters is the truth”. He told her he is an Arab living in Israel and explained to her, “there is no apartheid in Israel”. (His full interview on YouTube – a must see). At the end of the video, he talks to the camera and says he is not sure if he convinced her but he hopes at least she will have the knowledge to ask her superiors some hard questions and hopes she will question what she is representing.
Let’s take guidance from Yoseph Hadad, and a few other great educators i.e. Corey Gil-Shuster, (the creator of the video series “Ask an Israeli/Ask a Palestinian Project”). We need to encourage our academics here in New Zealand, to conduct open discussion through dialogue and peace and help bring Jews and Palestinians together toward a solution for the future. Spewing more hatred into the conflict at pro-Palestine rallies, as Dr. Rod Pik demonstrated, will not accomplish this. His remarks only fuel more hatred and brings more antisemitism into our communities – a problem we see worsening day by day.
New Zealanders are a passionate people who want to help.
Here in Aotearoa, we live in one of the last countries on earth who value and practice kindness. Hatred should not be brought over from other countries and contaminate this way of living.
Our educators here in Aotearoa, can help pave the way to create open dialogue between Palestinians and Jewish people and help bring a sustainable long-term solution for peace in the region.
Hatred is not a race.
Hatred is not a religion.
Hatred is not innate.
Hatred is learned and passed down from generation-to-generation.
Footnotes:
1.
“From the River to the Sea”
The “River” is the “Jordan River (seen in the centre in blue) and the “Sea” is the Mediterranean Sea to the left. In the middle is the country of Israel which includes the West Bank and Gaza. Uttering the slogan “From the River to the Sea” is implying that Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth and Palestine should take its place.
2.
What about the Jewish Nakba? Ben-Dror Yemini, BESA Center Perspectives Papers No. 78, May 31, 2009, http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/perspectives76.html
