Times of Israel: New Zealand demands Israelis who traveling to the country to provide details of their military service

New Zealand’s immigration authority has begun requiring Israelis applying for an entry visa to disclose details of their military service as a condition for visiting the country.

This measure comes against the backdrop of the genocidal war waged by Israel, against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip between October 7, 2023, and January 19.

According to the Times of Israel newspaper, New Zealand imposed a new procedure on Israelis of reserve service age (up to 40 years for soldiers and 45 for officers) who applied for tourist visit visas.

Without specifying date for the start of this procedure, it explained that Israelis were asked to report whether they served in the Israeli army and whether they were active reservists.

Those who responded in the affirmative were asked to complete detailed questionnaires about their military service, according to the Israeli newspaper.

The first questionnaire asked them about their military service dates, the location of their bases, the units they served in, the camps they were stationed in, their ranks, details of their roles, and their military ID number.

The second asked them to answer questions including, “Have you been associated with any intelligence or law enforcement agency, and have you been associated with any group or organization that has used or promoted violence or violated human rights to achieve its goals?”

The questions list also included, “Have you committed or participated in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or human rights violations?”

According to the Times of Israel, “People who cannot disclose details of their military service for security reasons aren’t exempt from filling out the questionnaire; therefore, they are unable to obtain a visa”.

It said that at least one soldier who served in Gaza during the war was denied entry to New Zealand.

Australia has a similar policy, which is why it has denied entry to at least two Israelis.

About a month ago, the Australian Sky News channel revealed that Australia is offering a similar questionnaire to Israelis who served in the army in Gaza and wish to visit a relative in the country.

In addition, former Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked was banned from entering Australia in November 2024 due to the possibility of incitement to sedition.