Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to speak to media after Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced New Zealand’s position not to recognise a Palestinian state at this time.
Speaking from the UN General Assembly in New York, Peters said: “With a war raging, Hamas still in place, and no clarity on next steps, we do not think that time is now”.
The decision breaks with many of New Zealand’s closest allies, including Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as a majority of UN member states who now recognise Palestinian statehood.
A much smaller number of other partners, including Japan, Korea, Singapore, and several Pacific Island nations, have not recognised Palestinian statehood.
Our second largest trading partner and Israel’s closest ally, the United States, also doesn’t recognise Palestinian statehood.
Labour has described the decision as “an embarrassment”, while the Green Party has slammed it as “absolute cowardice”.
