Last year when New Zealand (along with 124 other countries including the UK and Australia) voted in favour of a UN resolution demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12 months, it no doubt raised some eyebrows in the US establishment.
Months later with a new administration in the US, John Minto has publicly invited the NZ public to identify and dob in Israelis holidaying in this country in case they might have served in the Israeli Defence Forces, via a “genocide hotline” on Facebook. That of course would mean all of them excepting children given that they all do military service.
What Minto has in mind to do next isn't exactly clear but it certainly won't be good and has inevitably raised eyebrows in the US including those of Senator Ted Cruz who said:
It would be difficult to treat NZ as a normal ally within the American alliance system when they denigrated and punished Israeli citizens for defending themselves and their country from terrorists.
While both Winston Peters and David Seymour have defended New Zealand’s stance on Israel saying we have a three-month visa option where Israelis can visit freely, we should remain mindful that Luxon is on the record confirming that he'd arrest Netanyahu on behalf of the International Criminal Court if he were to come here. Add Minto to the equation and, understandably, the present US administration will be wondering who’s in charge here.
Are we in danger of being seen by the US as no longer being an ally? Does this mean we are in for tariffs now?
South Africa is in the news now as Cyril Ramaphosa’s Government legislates for the expropriation of land, presumably without compensation. Ironic given that Minto, a well-known activist against apartheid in South Africa in the 70's, has come back to haunt us over Israel.
South African born Elon Musk has highlighted the murder of white farmers in South Africa before and Trump has already threatened to cut off $444m in aid.
We should tread carefully in international circles.
It's been suggested that Cruz should be more interested in his own country’s troubles than far-away Israelis in New Zealand. No, we are pleased that someone is taking an interest. Cruz is a senator of Texas, was once a presidential hopeful and has six million followers on X. Our billion dollar agricultural exports to the US could be in jeopardy if the empire decides to strike back at an ally that does not fit Cruz’s criteria of ‘normal’.
With Luxon’s brilliant idea of getting us to spend 48 billion dollars on a Net Zero climate scam till 2035, we will have the begging bowl out soon and will need all the friends we can get.
As Mr Blobby on this site says, Luxon is like Nero fiddling while Rome burns and “NZ now equals Net Zero at anything”.
If NZ wants Net Zero, look no further: we are at Net Zero.
MAGA Mogul Trump has now decided to act on the “Free Palestine” posters that adorn the West and take over Gaza. As a real estate developer, he believes Gaza could be the Riviera of the Middle-East.
To be fair, it is a spectacular location. 6 miles wide and 25 miles long which means 25 miles of coastline and a total land area of 150 square miles. Contrast that with Lake Taupo which is 238 square miles and imagine what a competent developer might be able to do there and what life might become for its people.
Could be that Trump is just doing his “Art of the Deal” stuff. But perhaps it’s the real deal? Who knows?
