Appointing a weasel to protect kiwi eggs

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith’s appointment of Dr Stephen Rainbow as Chief Human Rights Commissioner is akin to appointing a weasel to protect kiwi eggs.

Dr Rainbow is a pro-Israel extremist who has been a guest writer on the viciously anti-Palestinian website – the Israel Institute – where he has repeated and promoted the nastiest of apartheid Israel’s propaganda.

Dr Rainbow believes it is OK to protect the rights of one group by driving another group of indigenous people off their land and subjecting them to 76 years of brutal military occupation.

The rights of Indigenous Palestinians don’t rate a mention from Dr Rainbow – the same attitudes are likely to show through in his dealings with Māori as the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The previous Chief Human Rights Commissioner came under sustained pressure to adopt the blatantly anti-Palestinian IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of anti-Semitism which has been used around the world to attack and demonise Palestinian solidarity organisations and activists.

It is inevitable Dr Rainbow will face the same pressures and, left to his own devices, will be happy to oblige the pro-Israel lobby.

The Palestine solidarity movement will continue to campaign to ensure the IHRA is not adopted by the government or civil society groups here.

John Minto

National Chair

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa