New Zealand’s refusal to recognise Palestine is not a matter of 'diplomatic caution' — it is a shameful act of complicity. While some 157 nations have already taken this basic step toward justice, our government hides behind empty talk of 'balance' and 'process.' While Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader David Seymour claims that the Government has shown 'independence in foreign policy' in truth, it is bending to the pressure of the Zionist lobby, currying favour with Washington, and allowing Winston Peters to posture as a pragmatist while delivering cowardice. This is not neutrality. It is betrayal.
This is not some minor foreign policy footnote. It is a moral test. And our government is failing it.
The government repeats the tired script about a two-state solution; while refusing to take the one step that would make such a solution credible: recognising Palestine as a state. Without recognition, the so-called 'peace process' is a sham. Israel continues to commit genocide, expand settlements, demolish homes, and enforce apartheid conditions, while New Zealand pretends that neutrality means doing nothing. And that is something Prime Minister Chris Luxon excels in doing.
Meantime, Winston Peters, sympathetic to the Zionist creed, tells the countries assembled at the United Nations that Hamas would portray New Zealand's recognition of Palestine as a victory. That hasn't presented any difficulty for the over 80 percent of the world that has recognised Palestine, but, apparently, it is an insurmountable obstacle for the New Zealand Government.
The ugly reality is that this government wants to stay in Washington’s good books. And under Donald Trump, Washington has been openly hostile to Palestinian rights. Trump has continued to supply Israel with the arms to commit genocide and entrench the interests of American Empire. By refusing to recognise Palestine, New Zealand has effectively endorsed Trump’s agenda. We are not an independent voice. We are a follower.
The hypocrisy is staggering. New Zealand loves to boast about its 'independent foreign policy,' about standing up to nuclear powers in the 1980s, about opposing apartheid in South Africa. Yet when it comes to Palestine, the government folds. It chooses silence over solidarity. It chooses appeasement over principle. Tens of thousands of people up and down the country have protested in the streets, demanding that the Government act against the slaughter that Israel is committing in Gaza. The Government has, in response, done nothing.
And no one embodies this betrayal more than Winston Peters. As Foreign Minister, Peters has perfected the art of saying nothing while pretending to say something. He talks about 'balance' and 'pragmatism,' but his version of balance is weighted entirely toward Israel. He condemns Palestinian resistance, but has little to say about Israeli aggression. He will not acknowledge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Furthermore, he warns against 'taking sides' but has already chosen his side. His refusal to support recognition of Palestine is not diplomacy. It is cowardice.
Peters’ defenders claim recognition would be 'merely symbolic.' or, In Peters words, 'It would serve as little more than an existential act of defiance against an unalterable state of affairs.' But symbols matter. Recognition would send a clear message: that New Zealand stands with international law, not with occupation. That we support the right of Palestinians to self-determination, that we oppose genocide. That we will not be bullied by Washington or silenced by domestic lobbies like the Israeli Embassy and its off-shoot, the Zionist-controlled New Zealand Jewish Council.
To dismiss recognition as symbolic is to misunderstand how liberation movements work. South Africa’s freedom struggle was fuelled by international recognition and solidarity. Palestinians deserve the same. Nelson Mandela understood that.
Every day New Zealand delays recognition, it becomes more complicit. Every day more innocent people are killed, more land is stolen, more homes are bulldozed, more lives are shattered. The government cannot claim ignorance. It knows exactly what is happening. Its refusal to act is not neutrality. It is endorsement.
This is not just about Palestine. It is about who we are as a country. Do we stand for justice, or do we bow to power? Do we honour our history of opposing apartheid, or do we betray it? Do we act with courage, or do we cower behind excuses?
The answer, so far, is shameful.
New Zealand must recognise Palestine now. Not when Trump approves. Not when the Zionist lobby gives permission. Not when Winston Peters decides it is politically convenient. Now. Anything less is a betrayal of justice, a betrayal of principle, and a betrayal of the very idea that small nations can stand tall on the world stage.
History will remember who stood with Palestine—and who stood aside. Right now, New Zealand is on the wrong side.
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an abominable disgrace and shame on the new Zealand government for their appalling complicity and for anyone that would even consider voting for them in the future.
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