Muslim and Jewish communities say they feel vulnerable in New Zealand as the Israel-Hamas conflict escalates, and spy agencies reach out to some groups - but not others.
The world - New Zealand included - has been watching the Israel-Hamas conflict and feeling its effects.
The war’s ripple effects have so far been contained to small and relatively-peaceful protests here in Aotearoa, but communities - including those who sounded the alarm before the March 15 attacks in 2019 in Christchurch - say this could change.
SIS Director-General Andrew Hampton has just met with his Five Eyes counterparts in Canada, the meeting focused on economic espionage but with the Israel-Hamas conflict top of mind for all present.
He told RNZ there were concerns the conflict might have domestic impacts, and his agency - and others across government - had been meeting with representatives from local communities to hear their concerns direct.
“We have been struck by how willing those community groups are to engage with us and to share our concerns, but they are feeling anxious - it is a key focus for us at the moment,” Hampton said.
Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (Fianz) and the New Zealand Jewish Council confirmed they had been in discussions with government agencies.
However, Islamic Women’s Council national co-ordinator Aliya Danzeisen - a staunch advocate Muslim women - said they had been left out again.
Aliya Danzeisen. Photo / RNZ, Luke McPake
“We need dialogue, open discussions with security. They’re saying they’re engaging and that they’ve been engaging - we’re telling you they haven’t.
“They may be talking to just a few men that they know from the club, but they certainly aren’t talking to the women who are suffering from the consequences of it - again, which was a problem prior to March 15th.”
It was Muslim women who tried to sound the alarm before a terrorist walked into two Christchurch mosques and murdered dozens of worshippers.
Danzeisen said it was once again feeling like it did prior to the March 15 attacks for Muslim women.
“Due to the conversations that are being had, they are reporting that people are stopping talking in their workplaces when they walk in.”
She said it was already clear New Zealand was not immune from these impacts and it will continue to be women who bear the brunt of them.
New Zealand Jewish Council spokeswoman Juliet Moses similarly said the Jewish community was feeling very vulnerable.
Juliet Moses. Photo / YouTube
“We’re obviously devastated about the Hamas attacks on Israel, and what has now turned into a terrible war, with, obviously mounting civilian casualties on both sides. But apart from that, we’re also concerned about inflating anti-Semitism in this country.
“Because of the sort of declared global Hamas day of rage last Friday, we did make the decision, having consulted with, again, police and other agencies, to close our school for the day and our synagogues for the weekend.
“So the only other time that has happened was immediately after the mosque attacks.”
Fianz spokesman Abdur Razzaq said they had also faced threats.
“Last week we received on a Friday [a message saying] ‘go get a gun and go to the mosques’. It wasn’t a legitimate threat but at least for us it was very legitimate, it was on a Friday and it said ‘take a gun’,” Razzaq said.
The group has written to the Government, calling on it to show the same urgency with the war in Israel and Palestine as it did with the war in Ukraine.
It said New Zealand should provide immediate humanitarian aid, raise an urgent request at the UN for the cessation of hostilities in Gaza, and request the UN and International Criminal Court investigate civilian deaths and raise the matter of war crime breaches.
Fianz suggests the Government meet with diaspora communities in New Zealand to hear their views and suggestions, and also raise the bombing of a hospital in northern Gaza with the Israeli Embassy in Wellington.
Security analyst Paul Buchanan said New Zealand’s intelligence agencies must remain aware of the worst-case scenarios, and extra security measures may be needed.
Paul Buchanan. Photo / 36th Parallel Assessments
“After the initial shock of the Hamas attack, there has now been a backlash across the Arab world and beyond against the Israeli retaliation, which many will perceive as grossly disproportionate because it collectively punishes Palestinians for the sins of Hamas,” Buchanan said.
“Even in the West, there are strong divisions in public opinion about who’s to blame, that sort of thing. There have been large demonstrations throughout Europe in favour of both Israel and Palestine. This is a very fraught moment in time. And so for... New Zealand’s security services, they have to be aware that even though New Zealand does not have a history of violent protests per se... this could spill over onto our shores.
“It’s not clear to me that New Zealand will be immune from that: this being now the ripple effect of the events of the last four or five days, extends further beyond the immediate vicinity of Israel and Gaza and goes out into the Arab world and beyond.
“People like Muslims in New Zealand, people like Jews all over the world, are acutely aware of the threats that are coming their way. And so they have both passive and active means to defend themselves passively - things like mosques and synagogues and the diplomatic missions will have cameras, will have motion detectors.
“This particular event in the Middle East may require the deployment of active defences, which is another way of saying ‘putting security guards on the grounds of buildings and what-not that might be targeted’.”
