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To: M.P. Tim van der Molen
MP Tim van der Molen: Support the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Bill
As your constituents, we are calling on MP Tim van der Molen our Member of Parliament, for the Waikato Electorate, Tim van der Molen, to support the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill. [1] If there are sufficient numbers voting on a conscience vote, this bill can be passed through the House.
We call on you to:
We call on you to:
- Support the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill and its passage through the New Zealand Parliament
- Uphold the ruling of the International Court of Justice and respect New Zealand’s commitment of international law in response to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.
Why is this important?
1.Rules based order. New Zealand supports a rules-based international order – for example through the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. Israel is the world’s most egregious violator of international rules. Things have got extremely dire this last month. Gaza is a walled in community where the population cannot leave and no food or water has been allowed in since May 8 2025 [2]
2. War crimes. Unfortunately, our government has stayed silent, although it has called for a negotiated settlement in Gaza, which Israel agreed to and then has trashed. Israel agreed to a three-phase ceasefire in January this year but then refused to negotiate stage two of the agreement which would have forced it to withdraw its troops from Gaza. An arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for trial on war crimes charges. [3]
3. The precedent exists: New Zealand Government has imposed sanctions before for war crimes. The Green Party bill is based on the sanctions the government has imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Why did we sanction Russia but not Israel?
4. The New Zealand Government has spoken out before against illegal Israeli settlements and criticised IDF attacks on UN staff.[4] NZ has made it clear that Israel needs to let humanitarian aid into Gaza and for a permanent ceasefire to come into being. NZ also voted in the UN General Assembly last September to endorse the International Court of Justice ruling that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory was illegal and Israel must vacate Occupied Palestinian Territorywithin a year.
5. TheNew Zealand Governmen must follow the ICJ. [5]T he ruling by the ICJ requires NZ to take actions against Israel’s illegal occupation but the government has done nothing.
6 Pressure from the international community is mounting. This week alone, the Hague group 30 states from Africa, Asia, Europe, as well as North America and South America have come together for multilateral action against the Genocide in Gaza. [6] Joining Belgium, Spain and Ireland, France, the UK and Canada have now moved to recognise Palestinian statehood.[7]
Why now?
Starving civilians, severely malnourished children are dying daily in increasing numbers.[8] In an alert, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, relayed desperate testimonies from its colleagues who are also struggling to survive in the war-torn enclave. “We’re in the death phase,” one UNRWA worker said. “Everything around people at the moment is death, whether it’s bombs or strikes, children wasting away in front of their eyes from malnourishment, from dehydration, and dying.”
2. War crimes. Unfortunately, our government has stayed silent, although it has called for a negotiated settlement in Gaza, which Israel agreed to and then has trashed. Israel agreed to a three-phase ceasefire in January this year but then refused to negotiate stage two of the agreement which would have forced it to withdraw its troops from Gaza. An arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for trial on war crimes charges. [3]
3. The precedent exists: New Zealand Government has imposed sanctions before for war crimes. The Green Party bill is based on the sanctions the government has imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Why did we sanction Russia but not Israel?
4. The New Zealand Government has spoken out before against illegal Israeli settlements and criticised IDF attacks on UN staff.[4] NZ has made it clear that Israel needs to let humanitarian aid into Gaza and for a permanent ceasefire to come into being. NZ also voted in the UN General Assembly last September to endorse the International Court of Justice ruling that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory was illegal and Israel must vacate Occupied Palestinian Territorywithin a year.
5. TheNew Zealand Governmen must follow the ICJ. [5]T he ruling by the ICJ requires NZ to take actions against Israel’s illegal occupation but the government has done nothing.
6 Pressure from the international community is mounting. This week alone, the Hague group 30 states from Africa, Asia, Europe, as well as North America and South America have come together for multilateral action against the Genocide in Gaza. [6] Joining Belgium, Spain and Ireland, France, the UK and Canada have now moved to recognise Palestinian statehood.[7]
Why now?
Starving civilians, severely malnourished children are dying daily in increasing numbers.[8] In an alert, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, relayed desperate testimonies from its colleagues who are also struggling to survive in the war-torn enclave. “We’re in the death phase,” one UNRWA worker said. “Everything around people at the moment is death, whether it’s bombs or strikes, children wasting away in front of their eyes from malnourishment, from dehydration, and dying.”
Doctors and nurses who continue to work in the UN agency’s clinics and medical centres “are watching children disappear and die in front of their eyes, and there's absolutely nothing that they can do about it,” the worker continued.
The development comes after desperate Gazans seeking aid came under fire at the weekend “from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire”, according to the UN World Food Programme. [9]
The development comes after desperate Gazans seeking aid came under fire at the weekend “from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire”, according to the UN World Food Programme. [9]
In a detailed statement after the incident on Sunday 20 July, it explained that a 25-truck lorry convoy crossed the Zikim border point in northern Gaza “destined for starving communities”.
Shortly after passing the final checkpoint after the Zikim crossing point, the convoy encountered large crowds of civilians waiting to access food supplies. This was when the shooting began, leaving “countless” Gazans dead, WFP said, echoing reports by the health authorities.
Condemning the incident, WFP noted that the victims “were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation”.
That's why we're calling on the National party members to support the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Bill - as your constituents, we are telling you now is the time to act.
That's why we're calling on the National party members to support the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Bill - as your constituents, we are telling you now is the time to act.