Get Over It
Aussie Dave | Mar 15, 2005 | 12 comments
Ha’aretz reports on the latest manifestation of childish behavior from the New Zealand government.
New Zealand has denied the entry of one of Israel’s highest-ranking reserve officers, citing an ongoing diplomatic dispute between the two countries, the New Zealand Herald reported Tuesday.
Former Israel Defense Forces deputy chief of staff Major General Gabi Ashkenazi was slated to address Jewish leaders from the United Israel Appeal, a major fundraising group, but his visa was denied, the newspaper reported.Relations between Israel and New Zealand have been chilly ever since two Israelis, suspected of being Mossad agents, were convicted of trying to obtain a passport by assuming the identity of a disabled New Zealander.The report quoted a New Zealand Foreign Ministry official as saying Ashkenazi’s visit “fell well outside the relevant guidelines” defined by the ministry last July. The guidelines include restrictions regarding high-level visits by Israeli officials.
Message to New Zealand: Get over it! Quite frankly, we have more pressing problems here than the prospect of being barred from entering your country.
In fact, it is precisely these more pressing problems that motivated us to have spies operating within your territory in the first place. Obviously, we are not interested in attacking or otherwise undermining your country – don’t flatter yourself, there is a greater chance of you being attacked by Hobbits – but rather acting against terrorists and countries out to destroy us. So an apology should be enough. And just because the apology did not involve our Prime Minister on his hands and knees before Helen Clark, begging for forgiveness, should not result in the above example of pettiness.
At least there is some sanity in your opposition party.
New Zealand’s liberal ACT party was angry with the decision. A spokesman for the party told the New Zealand Herald that denying a visa for “a non-official visit to a private organization is a gross incursion into basic freedoms that we expect in this country.”The spokesman, Ken Shirley, accused the government of “unnecesarily making a political issue” of Ashkenazi’s visit.
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: General
I can’t believe they’re still flogging that horse.
As an Aussie living in NZ, I can’t wait to get out. It’s a beautiful country, absolutely no doubt. Great for a holiday, but quite backward in enough ways to annoy you. Everything is ‘Kiwi’ this or ‘Kiwi’ that ‘ it drives you mad. I’ve had two Israeli friends leave here, to return to Israel because they couldn’t stand the mentality.
One called the place ‘a green prison’, the other likened NZ to ‘a beautiful woman with no brain’. Talking about holidays though in the context of Ashkenazi’s visit, the Labor government’s carry on in this instance is just ridiculous. An apology is certainly warranted for what went on, but this behaviour is over-the-top, but not surprising. They have a very pious, self-righteous attitude, especially regarding the PLO Arabs and are expert on the topic, handing out plenty of free advice.
The local economy enjoys millions of tourist dollars that flow in from Israelis that holiday here, especially after army service. It would be interesting to see what the NZ government’s reaction would be if that was affected in any way. I have heard anecdotal reports too of ill treatment of visiting Israelis as they arrive in customs.
Well here is the reason she reacted the way she did. They were out to get her. In this well reasoned argument:
http://www.nsm88.com/articles/helen%20clark.html
Melanie, you forgot to put a ‘
‘ to let us know you are joking.
Sorry, I thought it was clear that I was joking – but then I guess that Nazi website is real even if it looks like a joke.
Thanks mate, feeling better already…
You have no idea how depressing it can be sometimes being a Jew in New Zealand…
I am sure it is also depressing for a regular New Zealander…it must be hard being a second rate Australia..
*ducks*
True. But the average kiwi doesn’t even realise there’s anything more to life than Sunday roasts and the All Blacks till they go on an OE. It’s only then that they realise that most people don’t really care for rugby and that there’s a whole wide world of cuisine out there that actually adds things like spices and herbs to their cooking. (To be honest the whole food front has improved massively over the last 15 years as the economy opened up and more non-WASP immigrants introduced real food to the country.) The problem for non-WASP kiwis is that they know that there’s more to life than front page stories saying New Zealand is the best country in the world because a movie filmed here won a few oscars.
Hate to blow his cover, but to those who don’t know NZ TV, ‘Ira Goldstein’ is the best thing to hit their screens in the ASB Bank TV commercials. (now Goldstein, don’t spoil a good thing by saying you’re not him)
You guys are all so full of shit. New Zealanders dont eat Sunday roasts and all love the All Blacks, what we love most is keeping you terrorist bastards out of our country. Dont you all know that we have enough Taxi drivers and corrupt online TradeMe traders to need anymore of you? You are doing us a favour by leaving us in our “Green Prison”. I would much rather be living in a green prison than the real one that you Isralies like to call “home”.
You aren’t the sharpest tool in the shed, are you? But you are a tool, no question about it.
And I never suggested you eat the Sunday roast. I suspect you save the lamb for other business.