Auckland council advances Israel sanctions review

The City Council of Auckland, the capital city of New Zealand, voted on Tuesday, Israel’s national memorial day for Holocaust victims, in favor of a resolution that calls for applying sanctions on the Jewish state, local activists said.

The Auckland Council Policy, Planning and Development Committee voted 14 to 2 to request a staff report by July “on the alignment of Auckland Council’s policies and practices with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334. including any potential facilitation of trade with relevant UN-identified entities and advice on how alignment could be strengthened,” according to The Daily Blog news site.

That Security Council resolution “Reaffirms that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law,” its text says.

The Auckland City Council text also seeks a report on compliance with United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 31/36, also passed in 2016, which calls on world nations to make sure “that they are not taking actions that either recognize or assist the expansion of settlements or the construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”

Yifat Goddard, the spokesperson for the Israel New Zealand Network, a pro-Israel activism platform, condemned the resolution and its timing, which she said attests to the proliferation of antisemitic sentiment in New Zealand.  

“Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the comments on my post [about it], I received deeply disturbing antisemitic responses, a painful reminder that hatred is not a thing of the past, but very much present today,” she wrote.

“At the same time, the Auckland City Council made the decision to sanction Israel. These moments are not disconnected; they reflect a growing need for awareness, education, and truth,” she wrote on Facebook.