By John McCormick
WAIPUKURAU, New Zealand — New Zealand was among the 33 nations that voted in the majority in the U.N. General Assembly in 1947 to partition British Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state. This vote resulted in the creation of the State of Israel Yet, to this date, New Zealand does not have an embassy in Israel, preferring instead to have its ambassador in Turkey credentialed as non-resident ambassador to both Israel and Jordan.
As such, New Zealand is the only English-speaking country that voted for partition that has no resident representative in Israel.
Now, Pastor Nigel Woodley of the Flaxmere Christian Fellowship in Hastings, New Zealand, has initiated a petition calling upon the New Zealand Parliament to establish an embassy in New Zealand.
“Israel, in good faith, has had an Embassy in our country now for many years and I think it is time for New Zealand to reciprocate the goodwill,” Woodley writes in an announcement of the petition drive. “At a time when the misguided are shouting ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Close the Israeli Embassy in Wellington,’ we can be involved in pushing that dangerous and negative rhetoric and narrative to the back by calling for the proper diplomatic representation of New Zealand within Israel itself.
“Jerusalem has been deliberately kept out of the petition,” Woodley said, explaining that “it would have been attempting a bridge too far.”
“I do agree that Jerusalem is the undisputed capital of the State of Israel, but to have asked for an embassy in Jerusalem at this stage would have been premature,” he added. ” It will be best to leave the placement of such an embassy to the diplomats on both sides to negotiate at the right time.
“However,” Woodley continued, “we have a big enough challenge before us convincing our Ministry of Foreign Affairs to establish an embassy anywhere in Israel. Israel is the most democratic state (most akin to our values) in the Middle East.
“Added to the above, I will say this on behalf of people of Faith like me who are on this email group: we have no doubt that this venture is pleasing to God. I believe that if we as a nation were to establish a proper Embassy in Israel, then the God of Israel who is the God of the Holy Bible we believe in, would show favour to our nation in response. Part of that favour would probably look like innovation, technology and trade.”
On the petition itself, which may circulate through December 31, 2021, Woodley lists his official reason as follows: “We have seven embassies in countries which have been hostile to Israel. Fairness and even-handedness would demand an Embassy in Israel. I believe it would benefit New Zealand to have a diplomatic mission in the most democratic state of the Middle East; some benefits would be in technology, science, and trade. Both countries are small, advanced economies, with special interest in innovation, science and technology, and education. Israel has an Embassy in New Zealand, and we should reciprocate.”
New Zealand has had an honorary consul serving in Tel Aviv since 1998, the 50th anniversary of Israel’s founding. He is Gad Propper, who has been honored with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and the Order of New Zealand Merit (ONZM) for his service. A businessman who runs a large food processing company in Israel, Propper was appointed by New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Don McKinnon during the administration of Prime Minister Jim Bolger.
In addition to its embassy in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington, Israel maintains an honorary consulate in Auckland.
Pastor Woodley’s petition may be signed by anyone regardless of where they live in the world. To access the petition, please follow this link.
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John McCormick is San Diego Jewish World‘s correspondent in New Zealand as well as chairman of the Hawkes Bay Friends of Israel based in Waipukurau, New Zealand.