Hundreds support Hawke's Bay group in condemning UN resolution

OUTRAGE: A group of Hawke's Bay residents protested a UN resolution outside Parliament yesterday. PHOTO/SUPPLIED.

Hundreds joined a Hawke's Bay-led protest against a UN resolution outside Parliament yesterday.

Two busloads of Hawke's Bay residents travelled to Wellington to protest the United Nations Security Council adopting Resolution 2334 on Christmas Eve, which demands "Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem".

New Zealand co-sponsored the resolution, with Senegal and Malaysia, which said the settlements violated international law and undermined a two-state solution in Israel's conflict with Palestine.

More than 70 people from Hawke's Bay churches left Hastings early yesterday, in protest of the resolution they say outlaws "the rights of the Jewish People to live on their own historical homeland in the Land of Israel".

Led by Flaxmere Christian Fellowship pastor Nigel Woodley the group - who were joined by swarms of other protesters - spent about an hour outside Parliament, hoisting placards reading "Israel, please forgive us", and "the land of Israel belongs to Israel".

Speeches were given by Mr Woodley, and members of Wellington's Jewish community.

The pastor said he felt the protest had gone well.

"We had a good strong demonstration of between 250 and 300 people, and we made our point clear."

While no Members of Parliament were there yesterday - due to it being the holiday period - Mr Woodley said he knew they would hear about the protest through the media.

"So hopefully the message will be conveyed to them how we feel about what they've done," he said.

The protest had attracted one "anti-protester" carrying a Palestinian flag, who wandered amongst the crowd, debating with some - however Mr Woodley said he had been a "well behaved guy".

The man had thanked Mr Woodley after the protest, "for my conciliatory attitude, because I talked about the way through this being negotiation, not resolution and he said he appreciated that".

Mr Woodley was not sure whether the group would be taking any other symbolic action against the resolution.

"All I know is at this time we had to come and express our outrage, and we had to do it urgently," he said. "We had to respond urgently because otherwise the iron goes cold."

Since the passing of the resolution, New Zealand's ambassador to Israel, Jonathan Curr, has been effectively banned from the country.

Israel also recalled their ambassadors from New Zealand - Dr Itzhak Gerberg - and Senegal, ended aid programmes to Senegal and pledged to cut off US$7.9 million ($11.3m) in Israeli funding to UN institutions.