Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem Launched

As Israel began the fourth month of its war with Hamas, a small contingent of Indigenous Peoples from around the world arrived in Jerusalem to make a bold statement and put a stake in the ground. 

On 1 February 2024 the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem was launched at a formal event held at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem. Gil Haskel, Chief of State Protocol, announced the Indigenous embassy as the 100th embassy in Israel and Jerusalem's Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, called it the fifth embassy in Jerusalem.

The Back Story

Dr Sheree Trotter, co-founder of Indigenous Coalition For Israel presented the idea of an indigenous embassy to Hassan-Nahoum, while visiting Jerusalem in September 2023. A month later, Māori leaders Bradford and Selina Haami and Pastor Greg Motu also discussed the idea with the Deputy-Mayor at a meeting at the Friends of Zion Museum.  According to Bradford Haami,

“Fleur was very supportive of this idea, as a 'symbolic embassy' not a political entity, especially to garner support from the outside world for Israel as an indigenous people of the land. She was keen to open it then and there at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem but we decided to defer it till later. She invited Brad and Rick to appear on a live television show that day to speak about the idea of establishing an indigenous embassy in Jerusalem.”

The war had broken out just as the New Zealand group were traveling to Israel, but twenty of their number chose to continue on regardless. 

Brad wrote, 

“The team were saddened by the events in Israel. People were so vulnerable and fearful while we were in Jerusalem. People wanted to know why we stayed in the land and did not flee from the war like everyone else. We replied, "we're here to support Israel in its time of need".  There were tears, but we were blessed to be in that situation. All of us learned a great deal about ourselves by being in the middle of a war.”

Following this, ICFI moved forward, with the endorsement of the Deputy Mayor to lead the embassy project.

Dr Trotter stated that she was motivated by the alarming rise in antisemitism following Hamas’s 7 October brutal attack on Israel. She felt that launching the embassy would send a strong message of solidarity from indigenous peoples around the world, of recognition of the Jews as indigenous to Israel. According to Trotter, “the embassy has long been a desire of indigenous peoples who felt connected to Israel. It had been one of the long term goals of the Indigenous Coalition for Israel, established to create a platform for Indigenous peoples to express their support for Israel.” 

“The inaugural event was successful beyond all expectations. A palpable energy and excitement filled the room as the Indigenous groups expressed their support and gratitude to the people of Israel. The Israelis in the audience, some with tears in their eyes, warmly welcomed the love and solidarity of our peoples, which stood in such strong contrast to the opposition and hatred they had received from many parts of the world. One Israeli woman later commented to me that she had not felt this way, at least for ten years, perhaps in her whole life”.  

The formal event took an unexpected turn as the Indigenous groups spontaneously began dancing to the music of the Solomon Brothers, and many Israelis in the audience, including leaders and politicians joined in.

The Indigenous delegates included the Regent Xami Thomas, chief of the Khoi tribe who spoke out against the actions of the South African government in taking Israel to the International Court of Justice. Dr Ate Moala brought a message from Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u of Tonga. Native American representatives, Chief Joseph RiverWind, Peace Chief of the Arawak Taino Tribe of Puerto Rico and Dr Laralyn RiverWind, the Ambassador of the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee gave a moving speech, stating, 

Delegates at the site of the Nova massacre

“It is only fitting that the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem be established in the capital of the very place that so many colonizing empires have fought to wrench from the indigenous hands of the Judeans”. 

Māori Pastor, Greg Motu spoke of how the Hebrew scriptures brought great benefit to his people and “changed us”. He shared the concept of ahi kaa - the way in which a tribe maintains its connection to a piece of land by keeping the fires burning. He affirmed that the Jews held ahi kaa over Israel. The delegation shared words and prayers of encouragement and hope, all of which were warmly received. 

A few days after the event some of the delegates undertook a visit to the Gaza border area - the town of Sderot, Kibbutz Mefalsim, as well as the site of the Nova massacre. Members of the group were deeply moved to hear the heartbreaking and terrifying stories of the communities of southern Israel. The guide at Sderot explained that telling her story was her way of recovering and healing from the trauma. She was tearful as the group expressed their love and support for her. Mefalsim Kibbutz members told the heroic tale of how their community succeeded in fighting off the invaders. 

Trotter stated, “When we arrived at the Nova site, it was hard to hold back the tears, to think of the terror that unfolded that day, for the young people and their families. It’s beyond comprehension.”

The grounds of the Nova massacre have been turned into a poignant memorial site, where the images of the young people are displayed. Many visitors come to pay their respects, to reflect and to mourn.  

According to Trotter, “The inaugural event for Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem has put a stake in the ground for Indigenous supporters of Israel. For that we are deeply grateful. Now the real work begins. There is much to do as we move to establish and formalise the embassy and raise funding for its many goals. The blatant falsehood that Jews are foreign colonisers who have aggressively displaced the Palestinians, who of course are said to be the indigenous people of the land, is one of the central tenets of modern antisemitism. It is also one of the least addressed of the many lies undergirding Jew hatred. The Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem intends to confront these matters directly through media, articles - both popular and academic - and to show that we as the indigenous of the nations affirm the Jewish people’s millennia old connection to the land of Israel.”

For more information on Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem, visit: www.indigenousembassy.org