Source: Green Party
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine.
“We welcome the signs of a meaningful ceasefire, but there remains work to do to secure lasting peace,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Teanau Tuiono.
“This is a victory for Palestinians and the wider solidarity movement who have long pushed for a ceasefire. However, it must be followed by efforts to establish justice and self-determination for Palestinians, and bring an end to Israeli apartheid and the illegal occupation of Palestine.
“Aotearoa has a part to play here, and that is why the Green Party last year lodged a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“Adopting this Bill would mean our country backs up its recent actions in supporting a UN resolution calling for sanctions against those responsible for ‘unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory’.
“We must divest public funds from illegal settlements, recognise the State of Palestine, and join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, just as we joined Ukraine’s case against Russia.
“Furthermore, we should increase aid to Palestine, and support the reconstruction of Gaza as determined by Palestinians. We owe it to Palestinians who for many years have lived under brutal and illegal occupation by Israeli forces, and are now entrenched in a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions.
“The genocide in Gaza, and the complicity of many Governments in Israel’s campaign of merciless violence against the Palestinian people on their own land, has exposed serious flaws in the international community’s ability to uphold international law.
“This means our country and others have work to do to rebuild trust in the international system that is meant to uphold human rights and prioritise peace,” says Teanau Tuiono.
