Pacific Rim Indigenous groups declare solidarity with Israel

Indigenous peoples across the Pacific Rim have launched a declaration of support for Israel, timed for the Jewish New Year.

The initiative, spearheaded by Indigenous Friends of Israel International and The Lions of Zion, brings together First Nations peoples from Canada and the United States’ Pacific coasts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Māori from Aotearoa, Native Hawaiian Kānaka Maoli, the Ainu of Japan, and various Asian, Polynesian, Melanesian, Micronesian, and Latin American cultures.

“To this ancient land of Israel, the ancient peoples of the Pacific Rim send a message of solidarity,” said Norman and Barbara Miller of Indigenous Friends of Israel International and Dr Isaac Balbin of the Lions of Zion in a joint statement.

The declaration recognises Jewish people as “the Indigenous stewards of the land of Israel” and draws parallels between Indigenous Pacific communities and Jewish experiences.

“Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Rim not only have a shared indigeneity with Jewish people but the shared experience of tribal societies, close family relations, attachment to land and closeness to nature,” the declaration states.