TRY WEARING ISRAEL'S SHOES

Israel's Ambassador to New Zealand responds to a column which accused Israel of being a terrorist state.

Try Wearing Israeli Shoes - Yuval Rotem (New Zealand Herald)

• Would New Zealanders ask their government to sit idly by while a terrorist organization fires missiles on Tauranga or Hamilton? This is what is being asked of Israelis - to sit idly by while the residents of their southern town of Sderot are fired on by missiles from the terrorist organization Hamas. Let New Zealanders put themselves in the shoes of Israelis for just one day, without a vast ocean to protect them, without a democratic and secure neighbor like Australia, and with a terrorist organization mere miles away whose only reason for existing is their nation's destruction. Only then can democratic, informed debate happen.
• Hamas in Gaza focuses its weaponry on civilians; on children in schools and kindergartens, on families' homes. They fire their missiles from deep within civilian neighborhoods, taunting Israeli Defense Forces to fire back, knowing that injury to the innocent people of Gaza would fuel their propaganda campaign. Israel acts only in self defense. When they do fire on Gaza it is merely in response to Hamas' missiles and they are focused on the militants themselves.
• The people of Gaza are not the enemy, nor is there any benefit from Israel making them so. The people of Israel, in withdrawing from Gaza in 2005, sought to gain a democratic and secure neighbor, but Hamas increased violence from Gaza, including raids over the border into Israel to kill and kidnap Israeli soldiers.
• Ever since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006, Israel and the international community - including the UN, EU, Russia and the U.S. - have put forth a consistent message: to end its isolation, Hamas must recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to abide by previous agreements signed between Israel and the PA. These are not very difficult conditions. Indeed, they are the bare minimum that Israel should expect from a "partner for peace" or even a non-belligerent neighbor.

JEWISH GRAVES DESECRATED IN NEW ZEALAND

Jewish graves desecrated in New Zealand (JTA)
Jewish graves in New Zealand's capital city were desecrated. The six graves in Wellington's Karori Cemetery were found defaced on Oct. 7 with anti-Semitic phrases, according to a report from the New Zealand Jewish Chronicle reprinted in The Jerusalem Post.

The attack is believed to have been set off by a front-page article in Wellington's Dominion Post two days earlier in which the new Israeli ambassador to New Zealand, Yuval Rotem, indicated his desire to hire a native New Zealander to work in his Australian office.

Rotem was taken to task for this comment, which seems to violate New Zealand's anti-discrimination law. The graffiti targeted Rotem and the article's author, Hank Schouten, and also included more typical anti-Semitic slurs.

Local Jewish leaders did not make the vandalism public initially for fear of copycat attacks. The graffiti has since been removed.

Three years ago, more than 100 Jewish graves at two other cemeteries in Wellington were desecrated and a prayer house was burnt to the ground following the arrest of two Israeli agents for passport fraud.

HITLER PIZZA!

Pizza Chain Halts Hitler Ad Campaign (Spiegel)

How tasteless can you get? A New Zealand-based pizza chain is under fire for a recent advertising campaign that showed Adolf Hitler making a salute with a slice of the cheese pie. After locals protested, the company has replaced Hitler -- with Pope Benedict XVI.

New Zealand restaurant chain Hell Pizza is currently under fire for placing posters featuring the man who triggered World War II and was responsible for the genocide of millions of people on billboards in four cities across the country. The ad features Hitler sieg-heiling with a slice in his hands and the slogan: "It is possible to make people believe that heaven is hell," a quote attributed to Hitler.

"We thought that people would be able to see a funny side to a guy doing a 'sieg heil' salute with a piece of pizza in his hand," Kirk MacGibbon of the Auckland-based Cinderella advertising agency said. "If you laugh at something, you take its power away." However he added that "there are certain things we are still unable to laugh about" and said there had been a handful of complaints from Jewish residents.

The company has abandoned the Hitler campaign, but it still isn't shying away from controversy. Its new advertising poster boy is Pope Benedict XVI, who is shown with a slice of pizza along with the quote: "Hell is real and eternal."

HITLER BIRTHDAY CONCERT IN NEW ZEALAND

Hitler concert angers New Zealand Jews (JPost)
A rock concert commemorating Adolf Hitler’s birthday held in New Zealand’s capital has angered Jews and anti-racist groups, Jewish community members told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday.

The concert, which took place Friday night in Wellington, was organized by local skinheads belonging to the international Hammerskins gang and neo-Nazi organization Blood and Honor - a group banned in several European countries.

An Australian “Viking rock” band was featured at the event held at an undisclosed location, the capital’s Dominion Post reported.

The event had previously been scheduled to take place at a local motorcycle gang’s headquarters but was later moved for an unknown reason.