Just six Government MPs needed to pass Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill – Greens

With Labour and Te Pāti Māori’s official support, Opposition parties are officially aligned to progress Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in Palestine.

“All we need now is just six Government MPs. If six MPs from National, NZ First or ACT use their conscience, we can pass the law necessary to begin sanctioning Israel for its brutal war crimes against the Palestinian people,” says Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.

“I know that there are MPs within the Government who understand their responsibility to stand up for human rights. I know they have heard this loud and clear from the people they represent.

“There are no more excuses. The only thing in the way of this law passing is identifying just six out of 68 Government members willing to stand on the right side of history. No party leader or whip can prevent MPs from using their democratic right to use this process or vote how they know they should.

“In September, Aotearoa joined 123 UN Member States to support a resolution calling for sanctions against those responsible for ‘unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in relation to settler violence.

“Our Government has since done nothing to fulfil that commitment. Our Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill starts that very basic process,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.

Justine Sachs, spokesperson for Dayenu, added that “many in the Jewish community in Aotearoa are deeply troubled by the horrific ongoing genocide in Gaza and violence in the West Bank perpetrated by the Israeli state. Both Jewish and Palestinian communities in Aotearoa and around the world bear the consequences of Israel’s increasingly authoritarian and rogue actions. Notably, voices within Israeli civil society have called for international intervention and sanctions against the Israeli Government”.

“In this critical moment, we have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and peace-loving Israelis who seek justice and peace. We commend the Greens, Te Pāti Māori and Labour for their support of this Bill and urge the Government to allow a conscience vote on this issue. Leadership and moral courage are needed now more than ever.”

Maher Nazzal, spokesperson for All Out for Gaza, said, “for too long, Israel has violated international law with impunity while the world looks away. This Bill is a crucial step towards accountability”.

“New Zealand must uphold human rights or remain complicit in oppression. We cannot claim to support justice while maintaining ties with an apartheid regime. Silence is complicity. The world is watching, and history will remember where we stood.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• Standing Order 288 outlines the process for Member’s Bills to bypass the member’s bill ballot (colloquially known as the ‘biscuit tin’), with the support of 61 non-executive members. With 55 Opposition members now officially in support of Swarbrick’s Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill, the support of just 6 Government MPs are necessary to get the Bill onto the floor of Parliament.
• On 10th December 2024, Swarbrick wrote to all Members of Parliament asking their support for the Bill to bypass the ballot, and later asked the Prime Minister in the House if there would be any Government policy or position preventing MPs from exercising their democratic right to support the Bill bypassing the ballot. He said that he would have a “good look at the Bill”.