Latest news with #PSNA
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
PSNA Condemns The NZ Govt's Silence Over US Sanctions Against United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese
The Palestine Solidarity Network has just demanded that the government speak out against the US sanctions imposed on United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. Albanese released a damning report identifying companies complicit in Israel's mass killing and mass starvation of civilians in Gaza, provoking the US to sanction her. PSNA Co-Chair Maher Nazzal says it is unacceptable for the US to bully the UN and for New Zealand to stay silent. 'Anyone who stands up for Palestinians is attacked and menaced by the US. New Zealand claims to support the United Nations and the so-called 'rules-based international order' but we stay cowardly mute when the Trump administration does Israel's bidding and attacks United Nations representatives and UN agencies such as the United Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).' 'New Zealand's silence is eerily reminiscent of western silence as the Nazi regime in 1930s Germany targeted Jews, socialists, communists, gays, and gypsies, and took over country by country through Europe.' 'New Zealanders are calling on the government to sanction Israel, but our government remains cowardly complicit' says Nazzal. 'Our silence represents the weakest and worst of human nature.' 'Silence is what empowers racism, genocide and imperial thuggery as personified in US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio's attack on Albanese. PSNA, last week, referred four New Zealand government ministers and two business leaders to the International Criminal Court for investigation over their criminal support for Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
The Spinoff
4 days ago
- Business
- The Spinoff
What is Rocket Lab launching into space and why are people angry about it?
On Friday, picket signs bearing Palestine flags and banners about genocide gathered around three Rocket Lab locations in New Zealand. Why? Rocket Lab, founded in 2006 by Sir Peter Beck, is often lauded in New Zealand for catalysing our space industry. Today it still leads the sector, one with a quickly growing revenue – it was $2.68b in 2024. It's not just glowey-eyed nationalism that paints Rocket Lab favourably. Outside of New Zealand, it's seen as an ' innovative, exciting young space tech company,' and in the first quarter of 2025, Rocket Lab recorded $123 million in revenue, 32% up year-on-year. Rocket Lab is now an American corporation with headquarters in California. It offers launches from Māhia Peninsula and Virginia USA as well as aerospace manufacturing and design. While in 2008 Beck stated, ' if it's involved in the military we don't want anything to do with it,' the company won contracts from at least three US defence agencies in 2009, and seemingly never looked back. In May, Rocket Lab announced a $460 million deal with a US missile tracking tech company, positioning itself as a major contractor to US national security. In the US, Rocket Lab's rockets are the second most launched (after SpaceX). Here in New Zealand, concerns have been raised, and largely ignored by politicians, that Rocket Lab's ability to replace satellites makes the country a military target. Over the years, groups like Auckland Peace Action and Rocket Lab Monitor have accused Rocket Lab of being part of the militarisation of space and breaching New Zealand's Nuclear Free status. Many of the complaints have centered around its US military contracts. These groups have pointed out that Lockheed Martin, the world's largest weapons manufacturer, has invested in Rocket Lab and that the aerospace intelligence and communications technology that Rocket Lab develops, manufactures and launches could be used in weapon systems and other military operations. The most recent protests, from Friday, were led by Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA). Beyond the pickets, the group, along with a lawyer, have referred Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck, minister for space and for defence Judith Collins and others to the office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Why? Because PSNA believes that Rocket Lab activities may have intentionally contributed to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Israel. In a statement provided to The Spinoff, a Rocket Lab spokesperson said the company 'strongly refutes PSNA's false and irresponsible claims' and that it is considering its legal options. They followed with a bullet-pointed summary of New Zealand's legal requirements for launching rockets. So what does Rocket Lab launch into space from Māhia? Rocket Lab's website says that its launches, numbering over 200 since 2018, have enabled ' operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications '. In the past the company has said it does not and will not launch weapons as this is against its commitment and New Zealand law. New Zealand's space activities are regulated by the Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act 2017. Apart from safety considerations, the act takes into account New Zealand's international obligations and national interests like economic benefits, risks to national security and international relations. Anything launched into space must have a license granted by discretion of the government on a case-by-case basis. Cabinet has outlined some payloads not to be permitted – payloads that contribute to nuclear weapons programmes or capabilities; payloads with the intended end use of harming, interfering with, or destroying other spacecraft, or space systems; payloads with the intended end use of supporting or enabling specific defence, security or intelligence operations that are contrary to government policy; payloads where the intended end use is likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to the environment. Rocket Lab's website includes a log of launched missions. Among the clients listed are Hawkeye360, BlackSky, Capella Space, NASA, the US National Reconnaissance Office, the United States Space Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and RideShare. A few are labelled 'confidential commercial customer' or simply 'undisclosed'. Some media coverage states that Hawkeye360, BlackSky, Capella Space, all space-based intelligence firms, have links to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, though unsurprisingly it's hard to track down evidence and details. In its ICC referral, PSNA has taken issue with Rocket Lab's BlackSky launches in particular, claiming that ' these satellites provide high resolution images to Israel which are very likely used to assist with striking civilians in Gaza '. BlackSky has a network of satellites and sensors that capture high-frequency imagery of Earth. They monitor places and activities for clients, providing high-resolution photographs and AI-enabled analytics every hour under subscription models. This year, Rocket Lab is launching a series of BlackSky's Gen-3 satellites from Māhia Peninsula which are faster, can automatically identify smaller objects and can capture imagery through clouds, smoke or haze. In 2024, Intelligence Online, an intelligence trade publication, reported that 'BlackSky has a secret $150m contract to supply high temporal frequency images and analysis to the Israeli defence ministry'. This claim has not been reported elsewhere, but BlackSky has recently announced a new, $100+ million contract from a 'strategic international defense sector customer' for its Gen-3 monitoring capabilities. When Rocket Lab was asked by Newsroom in November last year whether payloads it had launched had been used to inform Israeli air strikes, a spokesperson pointed to other uses of commercial satellite imagery and data like disaster and humanitarian response, emergency management, national security, commerce, and environmental monitoring. A recent mission launched satellites for wildfire detection and monitoring. What don't we know? There is much we don't know and may never know about what Rocket Lab and its clients do. Some payloads have been kept confidential, yet all launches from New Zealand have to disclose information to the government in order to get the needed licenses. It's not cut and dry when the government might have obligations to release that information – under the Official Information Act information can be withheld on grounds of commercial or national security. The Spinoff contacted the office of Judith Collins for comment on Rocket Lab and the ICC referral. We were referred to the office of the prime minister who provided the following comment from a spokesperson: 'People are free to express their views but New Zealand has consistently made clear the situation in Gaza is deeply distressing, and the crisis must end. Our response to the Israel-Hamas conflict has been consistently grounded in the importance of upholding international law.'
Otago Daily Times
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Important voices ‘get heard about this'
An advocate for Palestinian freedom is disappointed Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark rejected her group's request to speak at a recent council meeting. On Tuesday, councillors voted against boycotting 112 companies connected to illegal Israeli settlements within Palestinian territory — a decision sealed by the mayor's casting vote following a 6-6 split. The list of companies was created by the United Nations and brought to the council's attention by Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) at an earlier meeting. PSNA Invercargill member Seren Palliser-O'Donohoe said an opportunity for the group to reinforce the motion on Tuesday was refused by the mayor. Ms Palliser-O'Donohoe said she then requested to present to the council on a personal level with hopes of sharing a wider context of the occupation, but was also rejected. "It's so important that the voices of ... affected communities that live in New Zealand get heard about this," Ms Palliser-O'Donohoe said. "That was refused, unfortunately." Ms Palliser-O'Donohoe said follow-up presentations had been allowed at other councils, and the group planned to complain to the chief executive and mayor. In response to questions, Mr Clark said he believed he only refused individual members the right to speak, but he would have declined the group too had he been asked. Mr Clark said members had emailed him and others to promote their views between meetings. "They spoke at the previous council meeting and I committed to a staff report that was tabled at yesterday's meeting." He said the council supported the United Nations declaration and the government's support of it but decided not to include it in the procurement policy. There was no evidence the council had ever dealt with any of the listed companies, Mr Clark said. Councillors discussed the matter for 30 minutes at Tuesday's meeting, Mr Clark making it clear he did not support the boycott. Deputy mayor Tom Campbell agreed, questioning where the council would stop in relation to other countries. Cr Lesley Soper took a different view, urging the companies be barred on ethical and legal grounds. "We are handed on a plate the list of companies that we can say are excluded suppliers because they're involved in human rights violations," she said. Cr Soper was supported by Cr Darren Ludlow, who gave the example of councils declaring themselves nuclear-free in days gone by. Cr Alex Crackett said the council was involved in international relations whether it accepted it or not, while Cr Steve Broad said he was guided by the thought of his nieces and nephews one day asking how he had acted. The staff recommendation was to alter guidelines for procurement, which would have still allowed the council to engage with the listed companies under exceptional circumstances. The United Nations resolution was supported by the government when it was adopted in 2016, and has been included in procurement guidelines at the Christchurch City Council, Nelson City Council and Environment Canterbury. Companies on the United Nations list encompass a variety of sectors, and include Airbnb, Expedia, TripAdvisor, and Motorola. — Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter — LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Yousef M. Aljamal Visit To Aotearoa New Zealand
PSNA is delighted to announce the visit to Aotearoa New Zealand by Palestinian journalist and author Yousef Aljamal. Yousef will address public meetings across the country as well as talking with faith communities, trade union representatives and media organisations. Yousef will be here from 16 to 30 June and will have public events in Whangarei, Waitangi, Ngāmotu/New Plymouth, Whanganui, Tauranga-Moana, Thames, Ōtautahi/Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. 'This is an opportunity for New Zealanders to hear directly from a key Palestinian journalist and author at a time when Palestinian voices are almost totally absent from our mainstream media' says PSNA Co-national Chair Maher Nazzal. 'For 18 months our media has been flooded with Israeli narratives, Israeli explanations, Israeli justifications and Israeli spokespeople. Israeli propaganda points are relentlessly covered while Palestinians – as the victims of 77 years of brutal oppression, ethnic cleansing and apartheid polices – have been rendered all but invisible'. If they are shown, it is a incoherent victims of overwhelming suffering. They rarely have the opportunity for their humanity to shine. 'New Zealanders need to hear from Yousef Aljamal and our mainstream media has a responsibility to report his visit and what he has to say' 'Palestinians face the most horrendous conditions imaginable with the genocidal attacks on Gaza; the blockade on food, water, fuel and medical supplies to 2 million people; the pogroms against Palestinian towns and villages in the Occupied West Bank; complicit silence from Western governments, New Zealand included, and western media indifference' Yousef's biographical details: Yousef is a Palestinian journalist and author. He holds an MA degree from the Department of International and Strategic Studies at the University of Malaya in Malaysia. He was awarded his PhD from the Middle East Institute at Sakarya University in Turkey. In addition to his research interests in diaspora, security, and indigenous studies, Yousef Aljamal has been involved on a number of book projects including translations of books on Palestinian prisoners, among them Dreaming of Freedom: Palestinian Child Prisoners Speak (2016), and a collection of stories about the shared struggle of Palestinian and Irish Hunger Strikers. Most recently he edited If I Must Die: Poetry and Prose by the recently assassinated Refaat Alareer. Yousef Aljamal has published a number of journal articles on topics that include Palestinians in the diaspora, travel restrictions imposed on Palestinians, and struggles for liberation. He is also the Gaza Coordinator of the American Friends Service Committee. Yousef has visited Aotearoa New Zealand before and is familiar with our political landscape.
Scoop
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
US Starts New Horror Show For Israel
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is calling out for New Zealanders to condemn the US bombing of Iran. PSNA Co-Chair, Maher Nazzal, says he hopes, but does not expect, that the New Zealand government will be critical of the US for its war escalation. 'Israel has once again hoodwinked the United States into fighting Israel's wars. 'Israel's Prime Minister has declared Iran to be on the point of producing nuclear weapons since the 1990s. It's all part of his big plan for expulsion of Palestinians from Palestine to create a Greater Israel, and regime change for the entire region.' 'Israel knows Arab and European countries will fall in behind these plans and in many cases actually help implement them.' 'It is a dreadful day for the Palestinians. Netanyahu's forces will be turned back onto them in Gaza and the West Bank.' 'It is just as dreadful day for the whole Middle East. Trump has tried to add Iran to the disasters of US foreign policy in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The US simply doesn't care how many people will die.'
