Maori Party on “The Jews”
July 31st, 2006 at 8:49 am by David FarrarThere were blog reports last week that Maori Party MP Hone Harawira referred to “the Jews” instead of Israel in the debate last week on Lebanon. I held off bloging this, as it was based on an unofficial translation.
However looking at the Maori Party official site this morning we read:
that acts of murder by the Jews be stopped
Could you imagine the uproar if an MP referred to “acts of murder by the Muslims” in reference to something a predominantly Islamic country did?
That statement by Harawira borders on anti-semitic in my opinion. By substituting “Jews” for “Israel” he is promoting hostility towards all those of the Jewish faith. Maybe an enterprising journalist could ring him up and asked him why he expressed it that way.
No tag for this post.
July 31st, 2006 at 9:41 am
I saw the first comment by Harewira and decided to assume that it was a vagary of translation. Very disappointing approach by the Maori party.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 9:49 am
David, I share your concern. Attempts to portray collective guilt of Jews or any other religion are dangerous and unacceptable. An explanation from Hone is in order.
I look forward to consistent application of this pinciple to your site.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 10:12 am
But the Jews are simply the tangata whenua of the area. Doesn’t he support tangata whenua fighting for their land now?
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 10:45 am
To play devil’s advocate, at least Harawira hasn’t gone back and quietly whitewashed Hansard. He’s arguably an ignorant bigot – or at least someone who’s uncritically absorbed a lot of the genteel cultural anti-Semitism we don’t like to acknowledge in this country. But he at least seems willing to stand by what he says, which is to his credit.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 10:46 am
Um David the do paint Muslims badly by using broad terms as the “sunni’s” or the “shiite’s” to imply that all sunni’s and all shiite’s approve of what an extreme segment of thier community does.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 11:11 am
Does anyone know the Maori for ‘Jews’ and the Maori for ‘Israel’ and whether they are the same or different?
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 11:25 am
Harawira – isn’t the sharpest tool in the box, he has certainly shown how ignorant he is when referring to cultural matters here.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 12:53 pm
Gah, “manual trackback” since the first one didn’t work:
Maori Party issues anti-semitic statement in Parliament?
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 1:01 pm
Seems a funny thing to get worked up about when 50 civilians were bombed to death last night (with nary a mention here at Kiwi blog)
Might be a dodgy translation?
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 5:26 pm
I have been waiting for some discussion on the Maori Party point of view on the Israeli situation
Vote:I suppose they regard the “Jews” as not the tangta whenua because the first time they arived by conquest..not sure but would like to know their reasoning because with a bit of luck it would show the silleness of this “we were first” policy
Ray
July 31st, 2006 at 5:28 pm
At least he did not borrow Hitler’s phrase and say “the jew” – i.e. singular. It does show that the holocaust sympathy vote has played itself out and Israel has to do some serious PR to explain its position. The BBC seems to be taking a much softer line and putting the “self defence” argument more fully and I can sympathise with Israel. How would we reach if a boat (financed by a foreign power) was morred off NZ firing rockets indiscriminately into Auckland. Of course we might have stuff all respose to that militarily but that is another story.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Jeez Tim, we would have a whip round and welcome them
Vote:After all they have good intentions
July 31st, 2006 at 5:38 pm
We could always refer to Black Power or the Mongrel Mob as “the Maoris”. Same logic as Harawira. Except I’d be referred to as a dirty racist.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Hey sonic Isreali civilian casualties over 1500 as a result of Hezbollah aggresion and deliberate targeting of civilians in violation of International Humanitarian Law. The head UN weenie in Lebanon has slammed Hezbollah for dliberately using Lebanese civilians as cover – in voilation of International Humanitarian Law. The UN observers reported that Hezbollah were all over their position and attacting Israeli fire. What to guess what they were violating in that one.
Under International Law, culpability for civilian casualties incured due to combabatants mix with or using civilians as shield lays with the those who are using the civilians in that manner.
You haven’t been too vocal on any of those have have you.
Hey Tim, I don’t think Hitler was speaking in Maori. Could be wrong though, it’s bloody hard to tell the difference this week.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 6:58 pm
I don’t think sonic will comment on the matters you have raised Murrary.
Part of lefist ideology is holding Israel to an impossibly high standard while remaining silent about the antics of Israel’s enemies.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 7:58 pm
Murray, the main problem with your point is in almost every conflict between Israel and Palestine or Hizbollah, the casualties on the non-Israeli side are usually ten times those of the Israelis. Something to do with the (im)balance of power, I guess. But hey, neither side is even remotely reasonably moral and decent if you ask me, so it makes no sense to discuss which is worse.
I don’t think it’s an “impossibly high standard” to require people not to blow up children, even if provoked. It’s not like it’ll improve anything to do so, now will it? (And besides, my mommy told me that “two wrongs never make a right”). The Middle East is just such a major fuck up, I don’t for a minute believe that there can be peace there in my lifetime. Kinda makes normal moral judgements irrelevant…. I mean, much of what happens there is wrong in about as many dimensions as I can imagine, but also vaguely understandable given the past experiences of both sides. Always good to aspire to step out of the cycle of violence, though.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 8:47 pm
K1
The “cycle of violence” as you put it, will never end until certain people recognize the right of the sovereign nation of Israel to exist.
And stupid polititians in benign strategic environments who condemm Israel at every opportunity encourage these people to continue their campaign against Israel and therefore are partially responsible for the continuation of the “cycle of violence”.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 8:51 pm
So I take it that if he said:
“that acts of murder by psychopathic generals on a neocolonialist land-grabbing spree who don
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 9:27 pm
Yep Israel is so neo-colonialist it slipped up leaving south Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai. I forgot that the anti-colonialist Syrian one party state must have liberated Lebanon through its (what’s another word for occupation?) “partnership” for all those years.
Anyway, Harawira isn’t exactly a man known for being Gandhi-like, and he is in a party that is racist.
Vote:July 31st, 2006 at 10:15 pm
He should be more concerned
Vote:‘that acts of murder by the Maori be stopped’. Nearly every day there is a brutal murder by the tangata whenua.
July 31st, 2006 at 10:49 pm
Andrei: >The “cycle of violence” as you put it, will never end until certain people recognize the right of the sovereign nation of Israel to exist.
Which you and I both know is not terribly likely. I think you just made my point, while you were in blame-anyone-but-Israel mode.
Although, one could say even Ahmadinejad doesn’t have a problem with the existence of Israel. As long as it’s somewhere else than Palestine.
Vote:August 1st, 2006 at 7:35 am
Harewira is most likely just a little stupid or, giving him the benefit of the doubt, uneducated. He probably thinks Jew is to Israel like Dane is to Denmark.
If he is aware of the diferrence? I doubt it. He probably is unaware of the fact that Israel is a secular nation. Israel, like New Zealand, has proportional representation. Arabs are represented in the Knesset – the Israeli parliament.
If Harewitless does know these things then he is an ass. Would he use the word Muslim in similar context? If he did he’d sure hear about it. He might even be the lucky recipient of a fatwa from some offended Ayatollah.
Vote:August 2nd, 2006 at 10:38 am
Hone has issued a correction today,
Glad to see a politican actually simply apologise without using mealy mouthed diversions,
All Credit to him,
Press Release by Maori Party at 2:12 PM, 01 Aug 2006
There has been considerable response to comments I made in the House last
week regarding Israel’s over-the-top reaction to the attacks from Hizbollah.
My comments were made during general statements condemning Israel’s attacks on Lebanon which had killed four United Nations peacekeepers. I spoke in Maori, and in doing so I forgot the proper translation for Israel “Iharaira” and used the term “Hurae”, or Jews, when condemning the Israeli attacks.
I accept that I used the improper term, and I apologise sincerely to all those people who have been hurt by my comments. It was not my intention to attack Jews, and I regret using the term.
I also accept that unnecessary deaths have occurred on both sides in this long-running conflict and that my speech should have also reflected that reality as well.
ENDS
Vote:August 2nd, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Glad he has apologised, but not sure how much I believe him – he is a politician after all.
Vote:August 2nd, 2006 at 5:29 pm
Good on Israel!
Israelis have had the burden of these terrorist savage muslim scum hezbollah and hamas for a long time, and I know what they are doing is RIGHT, if Israel did not fight,these islamic scum would murder them all (you know how much muslims hate Jews and christians).
Look what has happened to UK, it is muslimised and will consquently be destroyed by these scumlims.
A pity the rest of the western world were not the same as Israel, give the muslims a good dealing to.
Vote:August 2nd, 2006 at 5:29 pm
Good on Israel!
Israelis have had the burden of these terrorist savage muslim scum hezbollah and hamas for a long time, and I know what they are doing is RIGHT, if Israel did not fight,these islamic scum would murder them all (you know how much muslims hate Jews and christians).
Look what has happened to UK, it is muslimised and will consquently be destroyed by these scumlims.
A pity the rest of the western world were not the same as Israel, give the muslims a good dealing to.
Vote: