Recognise Palestinian Statehood

Recognition of Palestinian statehood is essential for NZ to stand up for the rights of Palestinians, including their fundamental right to self-determination.

Recognition of statehood is the foundation for full participation in international relations. Without recognition of statehood a territory and its people are vulnerable to serious infringements of their political, economic and wider human rights.

While the government of Aotearoa New Zealand states that it supports a two-state solution to the situation in Palestine/Israel, it recognises the state of Israel, but it does not recognise the state of Palestine.

The failure to recognise Palestine as a state is inconsistent with NZ's position on a two-state solution, denies the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and undermines our reputation as a defender of human rights and international law.

The situation for Palestinians living under the illegal Israeli occupation is becoming increasingly intolerable. During 2022, 231 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli state and settler violence and in the first month of 2023 alone 42 Palestinians were killed.

Numerous major international human rights organisations have reported that Israel is an apartheid regime, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’tselem, and the former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian Territories [1]. The International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid defines “apartheid”, the systematic oppression of one racial group of persons over another, as a crime against humanity. Daily life for Palestinians living under the Israeli apartheid regime is unbearable and inhumane.

Just like ordinary New Zealanders were not prepared to stand by in silence while the South African government maintained an apartheid regime, we will not be silent while Palestinians suffer under similar indignities.

Recognising the State of Palestine is an essential step towards justice and peace between Israel and Palestine. The Special Rapporteur described “the recognition of the Palestinian people’s fundamental right to determine their political, social and economic status and develop as a people, free from foreign occupation, rule and exploitation.” as the “ critical issue” in addressing the situation in Palestine. [2]

We call on the New Zealand government to join the majority of the 193 UN member states and recognise the state of Palestine.

References:
[1] Amnesty International report: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/#:~:text=This%20is%20apartheid.,order%20to%20benefit%20Jewish%20Israelis; Human Rights Watch report: https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution; B'tselem report: https://www.btselem.org/publications/fulltext/202101_this_is_apartheid; and Special Rapporteur report: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G22/448/72/PDF/G2244872.pdf?OpenElement

[2] UN General Assembly Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese (A/77/356) (21 September 2022), at para 11. Available at: https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/A.77.356_210922.pdf