Here’s why the new Indigenous Embassy in Jerusalem is so important

By Miriam Bell

In February, the first-ever Indigenous Embassy opened in Jerusalem, and became the 100th embassy in Israel in the process.

But this embassy is different to most as it does not represent a specific state or country. Instead it represents a host of indigenous leaders and groups from countries from around the world.

It is intended to become a hub for indigenous peoples visiting Israel and a tangible expression of their support. It will also support and promulgate the academic work being undertaken to respond to false narratives.

Reading about the launch of the embassy, and watching footage of the opening ceremony, it felt like a ray of light during a time of darkness.

Dr Sheree Trotter, from New Zealand’s Indigenous Coalition for Israel, was one of the driving forces behind the embassy. She talked to Miriam Bell about the creation of the embassy, its goals and messages, and the broader issues surrounding it.

Here is the transcript of the exchange:

Can you tell me about what prompted the development of the Indigenous Embassy? And can you tell me about the work that went into it?

When I set up the Indigenous Coalition for Israel in 2021 one of its goals was the establishment of an Indigenous Embassy in Jerusalem. In August of 2023, I had the opportunity to attend the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy scholars-in-residence at Oxford University. Following this I took a trip to Israel, where I met with Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. I presented to her the idea of an Indigenous Embassy in Jerusalem as part of the strategy of pushing back on the false narrative which has become so pervasive, that Jews are foreign colonisers in their ancient homeland. Fleur immediately saw the importance of the idea.

A month later, just as the war was breaking out, my colleagues and friends Bradford and Selina Haami and Greg Motu were in Israel for a conference. They also had the same conversation with Fleur. Fleur was so enthusiastic that she announced straight away the intention to establish an indigenous embassy in Jerusalem. From there we continued the planning and Fleur suggested the beautiful Friends of Zion Museum as a suitable location. With the generous support of Dr Mike Evans of the FOZ we were able to have our inaugural event on 1 February.

Indigenous delegates visited the site of the Nova massacre shortly after the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem launch.

Why is it important for the Indigenous Embassy to be open, and to have opened at this time? 

We thought it was important to hold the event while Israel was still at war. When so many voices are standing against Israel, we wanted to make a strong statement that we, as indigenous peoples, support Israel, and we recognise that the Jews are the indigenous people of the land.

Because the event was organised within a short time frame we only had a small representation of indigenous peoples in attendance: from Aotearoa New Zealand, the South Pacific, South Africa, North America and Canada. However, we had strong support from our networks in Singapore, Taiwan, Samoa, American Samoa, Hawaii, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Tonga, Native American chiefs, Canadian chiefs and paramount chiefs from Southern Africa.

The launch was successful beyond our expectations. There was a palpable energy in the room, as the indigenous groups expressed their support and gratitude to the people of Israel. The Israelis in the room, many with tears in their eyes, warmly welcomed the love and solidarity of our people, which stood in such strong contrast to the opposition and hatred they had received from many parts of the world.

One Israeli woman commented that she hadn’t felt like this, at least for ten years, maybe in her whole lifetime. The rather formal event took an unexpected turn as the indigenous groups spontaneously began dancing to the music of the Solomon Brothers, and many in the audience, including leaders and politicians joined in. It was a moment of true celebration.

What has driven you on this particular journey? And can you tell me about the messages that you hope to get out there through the Indigenous Coalition for Israel and the Indigenous Embassy?

I was motivated to establish the ICFI because of a concern that the indigenous voice was being captured by anti-Israel forces. My concerns were first raised when in 2016 Green Party MP Marama Davidson embarked on the Gaza Flotilla mission, purportedly to stand in solidarity with the women of Gaza. The co-opting of indigeneity for the Palestinian cause has been cultivated in activist and academic circles for decades, based on a re-writing of history.

However, the truth is, that Jews are the indigenous people of the land of Israel, while the Arabs arrived as colonisers to the region centuries later. The ICFI seeks to push back on these false narratives with well researched information and through education and the use of social media.

Many do not understand the concept of indigeneity, that it describes the ethnogenesis of a particular people in a particular land. The unique Jewish culture, religion, language and literature developed in the land of Israel, the land of their ancestors. Likewise, the unique Māori culture developed here in Aoteaora New Zealand.

We also want to elevate the voices of indigenous peoples who stand with Israel, of which there are many. We are building a strong network of indigenous peoples across the globe and we plan to organise many events for gatherings to take place.

Indigenous Coalition For Israel has taken a strong stand against the anti-Israel statements of Te Pati Māori

What do you make of the stance of Te Pāti Māori and the Greens, and some others, in regards to Israel and the Israel-Gaza war? 

It’s disappointing that Te Pāti Māori and the Greens have co-opted the Israel-Gaza war for their own agenda. Firstly, it’s a popular Left wing cause, and being apparently “pro-Palestinian” is an easy way to gain brownie points and prove your Leftist credentials.

They’ve adopted a simplistic binary perspective, that this is a battle between the oppressor and oppressed, without understanding the history or the geo-political context. History is ignored, re-written and the conflict is interpreted as a struggle against colonialism.  Radical islamist ideology and Hamas’ own words and intentions are ignored in an exercise of Westplaining, under the guise of an indigenous struggle.

To see young, uninformed rangatahi adopt the mantra and language of radical islamists in their attempt to identity with what they see as a Palestinian “indigenous” struggle is truly frightening.

A recent example is the protest of a Māori couple walking through the iconic Art Deco festival in Napier, shouting the consecutive slogans, “This is Māori Land. Free Palestine.” One can only hope we do not witness the full fruit of this radicalised ideology.

Also disturbing is the inability of many of these folk to have empathy for the suffering of the Israelis, after the trauma of the brutal and barbaric attack by Hamas and the ongoing suffering of the hostages. Imagine if these were your babies, sisters, aunts, grandparents. The propaganda machine has succeeded in dehumanising Israelis, in the same way that Goebbels did the Jews in Nazi Germany.

What are the goals of the Indigenous Embassy at this time, and also going forward? 

The goals of the embassy are that it will:

• be a tangible expression of indigenous peoples’ support for Israel and affirmation of the Jewish people’s indigenous status. Many who are indigenous identify with the struggle of the Jewish people against dominant narratives that seek to erase identity and connection to ancestral lands. A number have faced existential threats, as does Israel.

• provide a symbolic doorway, a place of welcome and an information hub for indigenous peoples visiting Israel.

• support and promulgate the academic work being undertaken to respond to false narratives and to ground the argument for Jewish indigeneity.

• become a tourist attraction that tells the stories of Jewish-indigenous connections and histories, and will display indigenous arts.

• establish a media production department to create films, podcasts, news programmes and material for use in its exhibition space, on social media and other outlets.

• foster relationships and mutually beneficial collaborative projects in education, business and innovation.

• not purport to be an official representative of any of the governments of the host nations of the respective indigenous peoples.