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An Israel support group has condemned a Catholic priest who splattered red paint over a memorial toformer Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Father Gerard Burns, the parish priest of Te Ngakau Tapu in Porirua, smeared the Wellington memorial to the late Mr Rabin with a mixture of a drop of his blood and paint.
His actions were part of a 1000-strong protest in Wellington yesterday against Israel's air and ground offensive in Gaza. The demonstrators were calling on the New Zealand Government to end its neutral stance.
The newly formed Kiwi Friends for Israel has demanded that the Catholic Church distance itself from Father Burns' "tasteless vandalism" and has called for an apology from the priest.
"Kiwi Friends of Israel strongly supports the right of all New Zealanders to have a robust debate on the rights and wrongs of Israel's policies but attacking peace memorials isn't legitimate behaviour.
"Father Burns is entitled to his views - however wrongheaded - but he crossed a line when he decided to daub blood and paint on a memorial to the murdered Prime Minister.
"He should apologise for his behaviour and try to voice his political beliefs without vandalising memorials."
The group said the desecration was doubly contemptible given Mr Rabin's lifelong commitment to peace.
Catholic Church spokeswoman Lyndsay Freer said priests were entitled to their individual views. The New Zealand church's stance echoed Pope Benedict's address last week. "We feel that in the interests of peace and dignity dialogue must take place, and the killing must stop, from both sides."
Archbishop John Dew said it was too early to decide whether any action would be taken over Father Burns' protest.
The demonstration on Lambton Quay began with about 200 people protesting against Israel's attacks in Gaza and called on the Government to end its neutral stance.
As the group gathered outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs there were loudhailers, a mock coffin and signs damning Israel scrawled in blood-red paint.
The chants included, "They kill, they lie but Palestine will never die."
Wellington Palestine Group spokesman Omar Khamoun said Israel was a bully, but the New Zealand Government "does nothing and says nothing".
He said Israel was responsible for a massacre and "Israelis want peace only for Israelis".
Bishop Richard Randerson said the rockets Hamas fired into Israel were a "micro issue" compared with the "macro issue" of the daily hardship Palestinians faced.
The Government's neutral stance as put forward by Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully was "wishy-washy".
David Zwartz, the Honorary Consul of Israel in New Zealand, was in a group of 30 Israeli supporters across the street.
He said they were protesting against the "disproportionate response of some New Zealanders" to Israel's actions, a response to claims that Israel's retaliation was disproportionate. He called the New Zealand Government's position "sensible".
