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Syria

Ziv Hospital – a ray of hope

Israel has a proud tradition of sending humanitarian medical relief to sites of natural and other disasters around the world, such as the Haiti and Nepal earthquakes, Philippines typhoon, UK floods, and the migrant crisis in Greece. In 2016 the…

Israel's borders; Hezbollah are hiding weapons under houses and by schools

At Israel’s northern borders we saw the war and the warning

New Zealand shares borders with no nation, let alone one that is hostile or where war is raging. By contrast Israel is surrounded by hostile and warring states, and for Kiwis it is very difficult to understand what that is…

Yom Yerushalayim – impressions of Jerusalem from the 1830s

Tonight marks the start of Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), commemorating Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967 when it was acquired in a defensive war in 1967 from Jordan. Jerusalem today has a rich culture which reflects its history – as captured by…

How New Zealand pushed a trophy resolution through and scored an own goal

Since the passing of anti-Israel UN Resolution 2334 on Christmas Eve last year, co-sponsored by New Zealand, there have been questions about what kind of mandate the Foreign Minister had and the level of prior advice and knowledge of the…

Journalist’s lived experience and fact-finding shifts his perceptions

In the summer of 2015, just three days after I moved to Israel for a one-and-a-half year stint freelance reporting in the region, I wrote down my feelings about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A friend of mine in New York had…

Aid offered from Government and people of “enemy” nation

For Jewish people the words “never again” have been a reminder and moral imperative to act in order to prevent another genocide after the Holocaust. The humanitarian crises on the northern border with Syria has spurred a number of Israeli…

United Nations agency continues to incite anti-Semitic violence

A recent report presented by UN Watch to the United States congress has uncovered more than 40 alarming new cases of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) school teachers in Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria inciting…

Chris Trotter’s dark reading of Israel’s dilemma

In one of the most polarizing trials in Israeli army history, 20 year old Sergeant Elor Azaria, who shot and killed a wounded Palestinian terrorist in Hebron, was found guilty of manslaughter. Three judges presiding over the military court ruled…

No place for hate speech in UN resolution debate

Almost three quarters of a century since Auschwitz was liberated (the 72nd anniversary is January 27), there are still those who either deny the Holocaust happened or wish for another one. Such sentiments are brought to the fore and amplified…

The Paris conference will drive peace further away

Another spectacle. Another photo-op to say “I care” and to feel like “I’m doing something”. But the cause of peace will be set back. This is what the Paris Middle East Peace Summit is about. It’s in Paris but it’s…

It’s a matter of simple justice

Given the present worldwide media focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it seems odd to me that so little background analysis to these events is being offered. It does, however, explain the almost instantaneous widespread condemnation of Israel – we’re simply…

Israel vote was an affront to all New Zealanders

New Zealanders are often told that our country punches above its weight internationally. Unfortunately, in the case of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestinians, Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully has delivered New…

The use of ‘Lawfare’ in fighting terrorism

Lawfare Many New Zealanders would probably have thought about the threat terrorism poses to us, and how that threat can be managed. The state of Israel has been at the forefront of the battle against terrorism for decades. That battle…