Two months have passed since the National Government said it was a question of โwhen, not ifโ New Zealand would recognise Palestine, in response to Labourโs call.
โIn those two months, Ireland, Spain and Norway have recognised Palestine,โ said Labour foreign affairs spokesperson David Parker.
โThe war continues unabated, and thousands more have been killed or maimed by the Israeli army under the command of the Israeli government. The infrastructure of Palestine continues to be destroyed and yet more people made homeless. The humanitarian situation is dire.
โCalls by the United Nations for a ceasefire in Gaza have been ignored. The case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is being undermined by critics of that process.
โSadly, for both Palestine and Israel, the prospects of a durable solution are diminishing.
โTo now participate in RIMPAC operations with the Israeli Defence Force will be seen by New Zealand citizens and by non-western countries as further evidence of the lop-sided approach by this government to the tragedy that is happening in Palestine.
โThe international rules-based order we rely upon is also being undermined. Experts at reputable institutions like Chatham House in the United Kingdom have cogently described the dangers arising from hypocrisy in the west.
โNew Zealand should use the influence we have to uphold the rules-based order which the Government says it supports.
โNew Zealand is a member country of the International Court of Justice. Under the last Labour Government we participated in the case against Russia concerning the Ukraine, as we did in earlier years regarding Rwanda. New Zealandโs lack of action to date in this case stands in stark contrast.
โThe National Government should be asked how they can defend their current inaction.
โIt is high time for the National Government to do what it can with regards to Palestine, without further prevarication,โ said David Parker.
Labour is renewing its call from a letter sent to Minister of Foreign Affairs on 12 April 2024 for the New Zealand government to immediately:
- recognise Palestine (not Hamas), and
- to intervene in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) process.



The genocide of the native human population of Palestine by the invaders been going on for more than 75 years, glad to see the Labour Party realize they do indeed exist and maybe they should be felt bad for when ‘israel’ slaughters them for fun. Would be better if they, y’know, helped though.
I would support the end of this terrible war but where does Hamas sit in the equation
It’s the democratically elected government of all Palestine (including 1948 Palestine) of course.
To exclude Hamas from any future Palestinian state is ignorant.
For Zionists, the land has always been the no1 focus.
Zionism is the enemy – not Judaism, Hamas or the Palestinians.
I mean, this is literally the Labour Party calling to recognize ‘South Africa (not the ANC)’. Absolute rats
New Zealand has always recognised Palestine as a region. If the people who now call themselves Palestinians want a sovereign country they need to stop voting for jihadists who call for the destruction of Israel.
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