The New Zealand Super Fund
Background:
At present, the New Zealand Super Fund invests in Israeli Banks. Those banks have been recognised as enablers of Illegal Settlement development by funding the developers. Under International Law, the actions of Israel building Illegal Sellements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is the crime or "Pillage".
The Current Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand superfund is Matt Whineray who Refuses to review looking at Israeli Banks in respect to the crime of Pillage. You can see his response to a letter early in 2018 below
The New Zealand Super Fund Position:
The New Zealand Super Fund believes that the Israeli Banks, because they are not directly involved in Building the Illegal Buildings in Settlements, are far enough removed from the crime of Pillage and Refuse to Divest from them (full document below):
BDS New Zealand's Position:
We Reccommend:
Take action to insist that the New Zealand Super Fund, working on behalf of All New Zealanders, distance themselves from the Israeli Banks which are enabling the War Crime of Pillage
Suggested text that you can Copy and Past into the body of your email (edit for your satisfaction):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To: Matt Whineray Acting Chief Executive New Zealand Superfund
CC: Jacinda Ardern Prime Minister
Grant Robertson Minister of Finance
Catherine Savage CHAIR
Lindsay Wright DEPUTY CHAIR
Amy Adams National Party spokesperson on Finance
Golriz Ghahraman Green party spokesperson for Global Affairs
Subject - Are Israeli Banks involved in Pillage?
Mr Whineray:
“Israeli banks are helping build West Bank settlements in violation of international law by providing financial services to home buyers and local councils, Human Rights Watch said in a new report published in May, 2018.”
https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/05/29/bankrolling-abuse/israeli-banks-west-bank-settlements
The report said that bank activities in or with settlements have helped encourage settlement growth and "contribute to rights abuses" against Palestinians. It added that Israeli banks, and international banks doing business with them, may be engaging in pillage, by acquiring ownership interests in housing projects on seized land.
"Most Israeli banks finance or 'accompany' construction projects in the settlements by becoming partners in settlement expansion, supervising each stage of construction, holding the buyers' money in escrow, and taking ownership of the project in case of default by the construction company," the report said.
Pillage is outlawed in the 4th Geneva Convention – Article 33.
(https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Article.xsp?action=openDocument&documentId=72728B6DE56C7A68C12563CD0051BC40)
Also under Customary International Humanitarian Law – Rule 52 - Pillage
https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule52
It is also identified as a War Crime.
My questions are these:
My interest it to feel reassured that New Zealand is not involved, and therefore not complicit, in committing crimes against the Palestinian people.
<your name>
<your email address>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At present, the New Zealand Super Fund invests in Israeli Banks. Those banks have been recognised as enablers of Illegal Settlement development by funding the developers. Under International Law, the actions of Israel building Illegal Sellements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is the crime or "Pillage".
The Current Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand superfund is Matt Whineray who Refuses to review looking at Israeli Banks in respect to the crime of Pillage. You can see his response to a letter early in 2018 below
The New Zealand Super Fund Position:
The New Zealand Super Fund believes that the Israeli Banks, because they are not directly involved in Building the Illegal Buildings in Settlements, are far enough removed from the crime of Pillage and Refuse to Divest from them (full document below):
- "Whilst financial accompaniment for any property development project is always necessary, our focus is on the company with primary responsibility for the activity. Extending the boundaries of our exclusion policy to companies whose involvement is less direct, including the provision of bank financing, given the range of activities to which our exclusions apply, would increase the number of companies captured to such an extent as to make our exclusion policy unworkable"
- "In your letter you request assurance that none of the Israeli banks the Fund is invested in are involved in pillage, or in any other contravention of international conventions or law. We do not provide legal assurances regarding the activity of companies."
BDS New Zealand's Position:
- Israeli banks are supplying the funds which are necessary for settlements to be built
- Building Settlements is recognised as "Pillage" under International Law and as such, are a Crime against Humanity - Article ??? of the 4th Geneva Conventions
- The New Zealand Super Fund should Not be involved in enabling the War Crime of Pillage
We Reccommend:
Take action to insist that the New Zealand Super Fund, working on behalf of All New Zealanders, distance themselves from the Israeli Banks which are enabling the War Crime of Pillage
- Email Matt Whineray here with "Attn Matt Whineray, Catherine Savage & Lindsay Wright - Israels involvement with Israeli Banks which facilitate the War Crime of Pillage"
- CC your email to the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, National and Green Parties spokesperson's on Finance. email addresses are - jacinda.ardern@parliament.govt.nz; grant.robertson@parliament.govt.nz; amy.adams@national.org.nz; golriz.ghahraman@parliament.govt.nz
Suggested text that you can Copy and Past into the body of your email (edit for your satisfaction):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To: Matt Whineray Acting Chief Executive New Zealand Superfund
CC: Jacinda Ardern Prime Minister
Grant Robertson Minister of Finance
Catherine Savage CHAIR
Lindsay Wright DEPUTY CHAIR
Amy Adams National Party spokesperson on Finance
Golriz Ghahraman Green party spokesperson for Global Affairs
Subject - Are Israeli Banks involved in Pillage?
Mr Whineray:
“Israeli banks are helping build West Bank settlements in violation of international law by providing financial services to home buyers and local councils, Human Rights Watch said in a new report published in May, 2018.”
https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/05/29/bankrolling-abuse/israeli-banks-west-bank-settlements
The report said that bank activities in or with settlements have helped encourage settlement growth and "contribute to rights abuses" against Palestinians. It added that Israeli banks, and international banks doing business with them, may be engaging in pillage, by acquiring ownership interests in housing projects on seized land.
"Most Israeli banks finance or 'accompany' construction projects in the settlements by becoming partners in settlement expansion, supervising each stage of construction, holding the buyers' money in escrow, and taking ownership of the project in case of default by the construction company," the report said.
Pillage is outlawed in the 4th Geneva Convention – Article 33.
(https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Article.xsp?action=openDocument&documentId=72728B6DE56C7A68C12563CD0051BC40)
Also under Customary International Humanitarian Law – Rule 52 - Pillage
https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule52
It is also identified as a War Crime.
My questions are these:
- Can you please assure me that None of the Israeli banks you have invested in are involved in Pillage.
- Can you please also assure me that None of the other Israeli institutions you have invested in are involved in contravening any International Conventions or Law.
My interest it to feel reassured that New Zealand is not involved, and therefore not complicit, in committing crimes against the Palestinian people.
<your name>
<your email address>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| letter_israeli_investments_neil_scott_26_july_2018__2_.pdf |
| letter_to_neil_scott_re__isreali_banks_7_september_2018__2_.pdf |
