New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Saturday attacked US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) for spreading “fake news” regarding New Zealand’s immigration rules for Israeli visitors.
However, director of INZ Visa Jack Gilroy admitted that “Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas started, INZ has put in place processes to ensure consistency and priority allocation for any applications received for people living in these locations.”
See Gilroy’s full response at the end of this report.
The Senator from Texas tweeted on Saturday: “It’s difficult to treat New Zealand as a normal ally within the American alliance system when they denigrate and punish Israeli citizens for defending themselves and their country from Iranian-controlled terrorists. Hamas didn’t just murder Israelis on October 7, but also American citizens. And Israel’s push to utterly eradicate Hamas is straightforwardly and deeply in America’s national security interests. New Zealand should be cooperating with Israel in its campaign rather than engaging in these self-indulgent leftwing attacks.”
Cruz was responding to reports in Haaretz and The Times of Israel that Israelis of reserve service age applying for New Zealand tourist visas were asked whether they served in the IDF and if they were active reservists.
Haaretz has since deleted the tweet without offering an explanation. TOI has kept the report which suggests that “Those who answered affirmatively were required to complete detailed questionnaires about their military service,” and at least one person was denied entry to New Zealand after providing those details.
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
The story likely stemmed from the “Genocide Hotline” campaign sponsored by pro-Hamas activists in New Zealand calling themselves “Palestine Solidarity Network,” aimed at tracking Israeli soldiers vacationing there.
“Israeli soldiers are holidaying in New Zealand,” the campaign stated. “We need your help to track them down so we can let them know they are not welcome here.”
Last month, the same group called on the New Zealand government to revoke the soldiers’ visas, claiming that Israelis enter the country without a visa for “rest and recreation” from what they described as a “genocide in Gaza.”
New Zealand’s Human Rights Commissioner, Stephen Rainbow, urged the network to take down the hotline website.
“The primary concern is really around the precedent that this creates in terms of encouraging people to indulge in behaviors which could lead to some tragic consequences,” Rainbow told Radio New Zealand last Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Peters tweeted on Saturday in response to Senator Cruz: “This Haaretz.com story is fake news, Senator Ted Cruz. We are demanding it be corrected.
Israelis do not need visitor visas to travel to New Zealand, let alone have to declare their military service.
“And both New Zealand’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner and I – as Foreign Minister – have made clear that the so-called “genocide hotline” is dangerous, antisemitic nonsense. New Zealanders are a friendly people – and Israelis are very welcome to visit New Zealand. Many do so under our visitor visa waiver program.
“New Zealand & the United States are long-standing, close partners – and we are looking forward to building that partnership further under the Trump Administration.”
REALITY ACCORDING TO GILROY
INZ Visa Director Jack Gilroy told the publication Stuff: “The story referenced has incorrectly stated that INZ declined a visitor visa based on their military service. INZ has not enacted any new policies for processing visitor visa applications from Israeli or Palestinian nationals. To be clear, military service is not grounds alone to decline visa applications.”
And then, Gilroy continued: “The declined visitor visa applications we have identified for Israeli nationals have been because the applicants did not demonstrate that they meet the standard requirements to show that they are genuine applicants, such as providing proof of ties to their home country, reasons for their stay, or evidence of their travel plans.
“A visitor visa can be declined for several reasons, and it is difficult for us to comment on why a person’s application was declined without a privacy waiver from the individual. Immigration instructions do not prevent individuals who have served in this conflict from applying for or being granted a visitor visa.
“Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas started, INZ has put in place processes to ensure consistency and priority allocation for any applications received for people living in these locations.”