KEY POINTS:
A cafe owner is unrepentant after saying Israelis were not welcome in his cafe as long as their country's military assault continued in Gaza.
Shane Cavanagh has been criticised after putting the message on a chalkboard at his Strawberry Tree cafe in Kaikoura, with the tourist town's mayor stating he had been in touch with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and his own council's lawyers.
"I haven't broken any laws. And even if I have, I don't care," Mr Cavanagh told the Herald.
"The Israelis have broken a lot of laws too."
He has since removed the controversial message, but has not ruled out putting it back up should the ceasefire in the disputed region break down.
The HRC last week warned another eatery, the Muslim-owned Mevlana Cafe in Invercargill, that it was breaching the law by refusing service to Israelis.
Mr Cavanagh, who heard only over the weekend about the Invercargill situation, said he would not have refused service to any Israelis who walked into his cafe despite his sign.
He is still putting up various messages on the chalkboard about the conflict in Gaza, including death tolls of Palestinians.
Since the ceasefire, he had also put up a message "to world peace".
Mr Cavanagh had travelled to the region before as a photojournalist "and I think if people believe in something, they should make a stand".
Asked if the message that Israelis were unwelcome could return, he said: "It depends how things progress."
Mr Cavanagh said he had mostly positive feedback, but Kaikoura Mayor Kevin Heays said it had upset the town and caused damage to its reputation overseas.
Some Israelis were calling for a boycott of New Zealand on a website in their homeland, prompting Mr Heays to apologise on behalf of the town.
"Any damage can be big damage."
Mr Cavanagh said there would always be "narrow-minded" people.
"I've got no problem with Israelis...but the fact is children and innocent people shouldn't be subjected to that [Israeli shelling]."
After hearing back on legal opinions about the sign, Mr Heays said he would get in touch with Mr Cavanagh, and look at what other steps could be taken to prevent a repeat.
The Mevlana Cafe refused to comment to the Herald yesterday on whether it had changed its stance. The HRC was planning to write to the owner, Mustafa Tekinkaya.
