Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Middle East
September 7, 2011
Aftershocks of Christchurch
Now that the dust has settled after the Christchurch ‘spies’ story, it is possible to take stock. The SIS, politicians of more than one party, security experts and media commentators all made public their suspicions that Israelis unlucky enough to be in Christchurch during February’s earthquake were spies. The SIS went further and claimed that all Israeli visitors to New Zealand were suspect.
No evidence was produced. Worse, the facts were widely misrepresented to bolster the ‘story’. It was claimed that the passports of all four Israeli backpackers caught up in the disaster belonged to a single one of them (this apparently being the infallible trademark of a spy). They, alone among overseas visitors evacuated from Christchurch, were said to be ‘fleeing’ New Zealand. Homeless and with no possessions in a devastated city, they were castigated for not staying with their dead compatriot. Even the Israeli Government's concern for its citizens was cast as a ploy to protect its intelligence agents (if I am ever involved in a natural disaster overseas, I hope our Government will be half as concerned for my welfare).
It would be foolish to assume that the uproar had no effect on public opinion. Mud sticks. So among the losers will be Israelis visiting New Zealand, who are henceforth likely to be greeted with suspicion and distrust — hopefully no more than that.
The outcome may be a good one for the local anti-Israel lobby. But is this true for New Zealand as a whole? The story was prominently reported in Israel. Young Israelis are among the world’s keenest international travellers. So in backpackers’ hostels around the world, when the conversation turns to countries to be visited or avoided — which it does every evening — young people of every nationality may already be getting the message — perhaps simplified to ‘New Zealanders don’t like Israelis’. Or even ‘New Zealanders are racists’.
Perhaps the story will die away. Perhaps it will become part of travellers’ folklore, but I hope not — ‘Clean Green Anti-Semitic New Zealand’ just doesn't have the right sound to it.