Stop Whispering.

The little mouse that squeaked.

There's nothing to say
And there's nothing to do
Stop whispering, start shouting
Stop whispering, start shouting

Yesterday our government surprised a few of us by standing up for something. It wasn’t for the benefit of people who own holiday homes and multiple investment properties. Neither were there any tobacco companies or fishing cartels involved. It was all quite unexpected.

But though the action was welcome it did feel quite small, and a tad late. Whether you’re measuring these things in days, months, or even dead Palestinians.

As grotesque as that last line is, it’s mostly so on account of it being true.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good that our coalition finally decided to grow some balls. I just wish they were a lot bigger and that they’d emerged a bit sooner. You know, when it might’ve actually demonstrated some courage.

Although thinking about Luxon, Seymour, and Peters perhaps that’s a bit optimistic. Thinking that they’d really put their nuts on the line for others.

Maybe I’d better start by explaining what I’m talking about…

As Israel continues it’s methodical destruction of Gaza. Starting in the North, moving down through the centre, and now following the fleeing refugees, looking to attack the final enclave, the southern border town of Rafah. The place that the remaining population are crammed in, Dunkirk like, with nowhere else to go.

I’ve mentioned in a previous newsletter that Fi and I once crossed the border from Egypt to Israel at Rafah. It’s a pretty unloved and unremarkable border town, and it absolutely blows my mind to think of an entire people, over a million now, trying to survive in that place as their attackers pursue without pity.

And my mother say we don't love you, son some more
And the buildings say let me spit on your face some more
And the feeling is
That there's something wrong
'Cause I can't find the words
And I can't find the song

Yesterday our Foreign Minister Winston Peters issued a statement saying, “The level of inhumanity is out of all proportion now and whether it is justified or not, the reality is we can't justify this."

Which made me think, why now? You could’ve issued that statement on any day in the last hundred, and it would’ve been equally true. What the hell were you waiting for?

Secondly I couldn’t quite fathom the logic of saying whether it’s justified or not, we can’t justify it.

If we, or any other decent nation or people, can look at the situation in Gaza, the barbaric murder of so many innocent people, and finally get the balls to say we can’t justify it. Or perhaps that should be can no longer justify it, despite it having been just fine the day before, then why water it down by sucking up to the side committing the war crimes?

Still leaving the door ajar that somehow a response this disproportionate could ever be justified, by any decent human being. It can’t, and when this is done those responsible need to be tried for their crimes against the Palestinian people, and against humanity.

The statement said, “A military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic… devastating… We urge the Israeli Government not to go down this path. There is simply nowhere else for civilians to go.”

Which again is true, but it has been for months as we’ve watched Israel conduct military operations against a population that is predominantly unarmed and who are trying to find somewhere to escape to from the relentless onslaught.

“There is growing international consensus. Israel must listen to its friends and it must listen to the international community. Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas.”   

Peters adding that, “We expect to be listened to.”  

I loved the line saying that “Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price for defeating Hamas”. That is exactly it! But why the hell were we only saying it yesterday?

Not the day before, or on any of the hundred days before that? Was it ok for Palestinian civilians to be used for Israel’s revenge killings before that? Have we reached the magic number now? Or is there some other explanation for our newly discovered morality?

God it’s not a bloody internal poll is it? From another of the Atlas Network affiliates?

I’m joking of course. We all know exactly what has brought this about. America started playing this tune a few days ago, and now its lackeys, Australia, Canada, and ourselves were issuing this statement. Not in support of the people in Gaza, but in support of our ally the US.

This is not exactly news, it has been apparent since the election that the days of an independent foreign policy for Aotearoa were a thing of the past. When America says jump - we send our military to Yemen.

Maybe we need to send our political reporters to Washington, rather than Wellington. So that they can ask questions where the decisions are actually being made?

Ok cup half full time, if only the mass graves were only at such capacity…

It’s good that the international community, the west who have given Israel a free run to unleash their terror to date, are finally saying something. But what if Israel just continues ignoring the international community?

I can’t see Joe Biden doing much of consequence, other than these few words, given it’s election year for him. What about the rest of us? The western nations who purport to uphold values of decency, which are in direct contradiction of the actions of Israel over the last four months?

Dear sir, I have a complaint
Can't remember what it is
Doesn't matter anyway
Doesn't matter anyway

Will we at the very least treat Israel as we have Russia with travel and trade bans? Or are we going to continue to listen to the views of people like Sean Plunket, David Seymour, and sadly even Jack Tame at the weekend?

Those who say that the thing we should get excited about here in Aotearoa is the protesters who chanted “From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free”, and whether they did so knowing it would hurt some people’s feelings?

People that, as Chlöe Swarbrick pointed out in that Q&A interview, like to equate calls for Palestinian freedom and a ceasefire with murderous intent, and with the intention of genocide. I can’t help wondering whether these people are concerned that they’ll choke on their own hypocrisy, considering it’s enormity? They ought to be.

Maybe for Israel our involvement will be the straw that broke the camel’s back? Perhaps they thought the criticism from the US was bad enough but if little old New Zealand is going to speak out, with our tradition of being an independent voice that stands up for what’s right, then it’s all over rover?

I’m kidding of course. Netanyahu won’t listen to Biden, do you really think he gives a rat’s ass about us?

But eventually the pressure will tell, it’s just a shame so many have remained silent for so long. Or have been complicit in this by slandering those who criticise Israel’s actions as being anti semitic - which they’re not.

This is not even close to being over but I’d like to acknowledge those who have protested for months, week in and week out, around the motu, to keep the message going. To keep on saying - stop the killing, we don’t support this, we abhor it.

Including my friend, and your fellow reader, Juliet. Who you can see in the bandana and shades to the left of John Minto in this photograph. Along with more than 500 other people protesting in Wellington on Tuesday, demanding that our government take a tougher stand.

Photo: RNZ / Pretoria Gordon.

This conflict was always going to end at some point. As always of course with the Palestinian people having less than they had to start with. At some point this had to end, so why not a day, a week, a month, or 20,000 lives earlier?

Is it just some big game with powerful old men saying when the killing starts, and when it ends? After it is done all of these deaths will be for absolutely nothing.

All the disfigurements, the families who will never be whole again, the dead children and parents, it’s all for absolutely bloody nothing! Pointless.

It is beyond the comprehension of this human being that so many lives could be taken or destroyed when the demands for this to end could’ve, should’ve, come far earlier.

Including from our gutless government who have appeased the powerful rather than standing up for the vulnerable.

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When this is all done, when the shooting stops, the Palestinians that remain will still live facing the might of the US funded Israeli military, and there will be no accountability for the murderers. Mind you it’s hard to imagine that any sanctions or international bans could ever wash this stain from Israel.

Besides which, they should’ve already been facing that. Israel should’ve already been an international pariah over the way they were treating the Palestinian people, even before all of this happened.

You can’t fight a conventional war against a terrorist group. They live and operate of necessity among civilians. They will not meet your tanks and rockets on a battlefield, if you go to “war” with them you are also declaring war on the civilians there.

Men, women, children, and babies. It’s not collateral, incidental, damage when you’re shooting right at them. Someone ought to be held accountable for these crimes, but I imagine it’ll be a cold day in hell before Mr Peters has anything to say about that.

Stop whispering, stop whispering
Stop whispering, stop whispering, start shouting