500 signatures reached
To: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters
Israel Sanction Bill: Holding Israel accountable
New Zealand's (NZ) response to Israel's year-long war crimes and violations of International law (IL) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) has been limited to "strong statements"—statements that fall far short of the legislative action taken against Russia. This double standard is unacceptable.
We urge Foreign Minister Winston Peters to show NZ’s condemnation of Israeli war crimes and severe human rights abuses in Palestine and now Lebanon with the same level of urgency that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs displayed for Ukraine.
We urge Foreign Minister Winston Peters to show NZ’s condemnation of Israeli war crimes and severe human rights abuses in Palestine and now Lebanon with the same level of urgency that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs displayed for Ukraine.
This petition demands that Foreign Minister Winston Peters take the following actions:
- Sponsor an Israel sanctions bill using the framework of the 2022 Russia Sanctions Act.
- Ensure that the NZ Superfund divests from BAE systems and L3 Harris Technologies, which have known connections to the war on Gaza.
- Intervene in South Africa's legal case against Israel, as former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins recommended.
Why is this important?
From a young age, we are all raised to believe in universal principles such as respecting others, valuing life, and obeying the law. We're also taught that violating these rules comes with consequences, and leaders—government officials—are expected to uphold these values on a local and international scale.
Now, imagine committing crimes that result in the deaths of over 40,000 people, including 17,000 children, and the destruction of 66% of all structures in one of the most densely populated places on Earth [1,2]. Imagine actively carrying out daily massacres for over a year, such as deliberately targeting a hospital compound and burning men, women, and children alive, all without facing any meaningful consequences [3]. This is our reality today.
Israel is committing an active genocide yet faces no significant accountability. Leaders like Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who claim to uphold IL and IHL and have the power to introduce real consequences, like targeted sanctions, are not imposing consequences on Israel's war crimes.
NZ's foreign policy also has a glaring double standard, particularly regarding using sanctions. While NZ sanctions Russia for war crimes, Israel is given political immunity and is enabled to commit the same crimes without consequence. This inconsistency reveals that NZ's stance on IL and IHL is more about preserving political relationships than displaying consistent principles in the face of war crimes.
By prioritising political alliances over consistency, NZ has enabled Israeli atrocities to continue. After one year of genocide, it is beyond time for Winston Peters to exercise initiative, break free from the bystander effect, and introduce a sanctions bill targeting Israel without waiting for international allies to act.
How can New Zealand impose sanctions?
New Zealand has two primary methods for imposing sanctions:
New Zealand has two primary methods for imposing sanctions:
- Through a unanimous vote in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
- Through the 2022 Russia Sanctions Act, which applies only to Russia.
Neither of these methods can currently be used to sanction Israel.
The failure of the UNSC and New Zealand's need to act independently
NZ cannot rely on the UNSC to sanction Israel because the United States (US). The US, a permanent member of the UNSC, is the greatest enabler of Israel and has vetoed or rejected 45 resolutions critical of Israel between 1945 and 2023 [4]. The US has also vetoed three resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and blocked Palestine's full membership of the UN [5,6]. This makes the UNSC an ineffective channel for holding Israel accountable.
The failure of the UNSC is also why NZ chose to sanction Russia independently. After the UNSC failed to sanction Russia due to its veto power, NZ was under no legal obligation to sanction Russia. Despite this, the government made a decision to act independently and decided that local practical legislative changes, such as "a targeted sanctions bill," were required to show "condemnation in the strongest possible terms "[7]. Former Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta introduced the 2022 Russia Sanctions Bill (RSA) to the NZ House of Representatives, and it was passed and enforced by the parliament less than one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine. NZ has since implemented over 1700 sanctions on Russia since [8].
New Zealand can create an Israel Sanctions Bill
In May 2024, an expert advisory group produced a report providing clear recommendations on foreign policy tools that the Minister of Foreign Affairs could use in situations of grave international concern, such as threats to peace, security, and human rights abuses [9]. The report specifically noted that "sanctions imposed on Russia shows that broad [unilateral] sanctions can be imposed very quickly" and that "If a new emergency situation occurred in the future, the Russian sanctions model could be copied very quickly" (pg. 10).
According to the report, an emergency in international relations entails grave abuses of human rights, situations involving genocide, and crimes against humanity (pg. 34). It is indisputable that Israel's military actions in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7th, 2023, at the very least account to crimes against humanity as confirmed by an independent inquiry into violations of international law [10].
Furthermore, trade laws allow countries to act outside global trade norms in response to emergencies in international relations, which would also apply here (pg. 33).
References
References
How it will be delivered
Winston Peters has acknowledged this petition. However, he has deflected from answering the petition demands, in particular, the call to sponsor an Israel sanctions bill.