Gaza action in NZ by NZ clergy

This week clergy (Anglican, Catholic, Baptist) have made headlines through two actions (Auckland and Wellington) seeking to press the NZ Government to extend sanctions [there are a few already against a few Israeli leaders] to press Israel to cease their war/genocide against Palestinians in Gaza (and the West Bank). Articles here, here and here.

There is a strong sense among many Christians in NZ that "enough is enough". Israel needs calling out on what it is doing, more than that, it needs pressuring against what it is doing. Hence these actions, hence our own recent diocesan synod calling for a letter to the PM and Cabinet endorsing a couple of recent statements including one which calls on sanctions: see here and here.

I am aware, of course, that such a sense of enough is enough, this must stop, is not shared by all Christians in NZ. Hamas could, for instance, surrender now - better, some months ago - in order to spare the Palestinians it professes to serve the agony, death, grief and destruction they are experiencing as Israel fulfils its intent to destroy Hamas.

Nevertheless, there is a question about what an aggressor - as Israel is in this situation - should do - ehtically - in order to pursue a particular policy goal. Are the cruel, genocidal, warring actions of the IDF the only way to destroy Hamas? That is not at all clear. Is what Israel doing, even if they do destroy Hamas, creating an environment in which present and future generations of Palestinians (to say nothing of Arab allies) will have no bitterness about their suffering, no grounds to spur future creations of new terror groups? A definite NO. Israel is sowing something which will reap future deathly consequences.

Sanctioning Israel into ending its annihiliation of Hamas, of Gaza and, in time, Palestinian life on the West Bank, could actually do Israel a favour!

Where to from here?

It will be interesting to see if the NZ Government does take some kind of new and even bold step in its response to the suffering. There are hints that a big announcement is coming when Winston Peters, our Foreign Minister, addresses the UN later this month. It may take future historians to determine whether church statements and protests have influenced the direction of our Government if there is change - other forces are at work on our Government, including other parties in our parliament, regular and sometimes massive protests on our streets, and - I suggest - a moral conscience for a Government that includes Christians.

Let's see what might happen in the next two weeks.