Call to recognise Palestinian statehood
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
The Green Party has put forward a motion asking MPs to recognise Palestinian statehood, as the death toll mounts in a worsening conflict between Israel and Hamas.
New Zealand does not recognise Palestine as a state, but supports a two-state solution to the conflict, which would mean the creation of a Palestinian state.
The members’ motion, submitted to Parliament by Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, will ask MPs to recognise ‘‘the state of Palestine among our community of nations’’.
It could be debated by the House today, but already it appears the effort may fail as the ACT Party promised to vote it down over a Green MP’s pro-Palestine tweet.
The move comes two weeks after the ACT Party put forward a motion that asked MPs to declare that genocide was occurring against the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, China, a motion that was successful after the word ‘‘genocide’’ was replaced with ‘‘severe human rights abuses’’.
‘‘New Zealand as a country hasn’t recognised Palestine as a state, which means that we are not in fact part of a two-state solution, which is what my motion calls for,’’ Ghahraman said.
The motion will ask MPs to agree that: ‘‘That this House recognises and supports the right of Palestine to selfdetermination and statehood; and recognises the state of Palestine among our community of nations’’.
Under Parliamentary rules, a member of Parliament can lodge a motion and seek leave for the motion to be considered. If a single MP objects to the motion being considered, the proposed motion will be defeated. If the House agrees to it being debated and a majority of MPs vote in favour of the motion, it becomes the position of the Parliament.
ACT Party deputy leader Brooke van Velden, who ushered through the motion on the abuse of Uyghur earlier this month, sent Ghahraman a letter yesterday saying that ACT supported a two-state solution to the conflict.
‘‘However, we will not be supporting your motion,’’ the letter read.
Van Velden took issue with a tweet posted by Green MP Ricardo Menendez March while at a proPalestine protest at the weekend, which read: ‘‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!’’
‘‘This phrase is used by Hamas, a terrorist organisation that calls for the elimination of Israel,’’ van Velden said. ‘‘We don’t believe supporting the motion proposed by the Green Party is a helpful contribution to this discourse given the recent actions of Green MPs.’’
Ghahraman said it would be disappointing if ACT voted down the motion. She said Menendez March’s message was chanted at the protest by about 2000 people, including ‘‘Jews, Muslims, Kiwis from all cultural backgrounds’’.
‘‘What we meant by it was that Palestinians deserve to have equal rights in their ancestral home. Just as the Jewish community on that land should have equal rights,’’ she said.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta yesterday said she ad not been told of the motion. ‘‘New Zealand’s had a long-standing view to support the Middle East peace process and the two state system. Our focus right at the moment has been to ensure that there’s a de-escalation of violence that has been provoked between Israel and Palestine.’’
Mahuta said there was no ‘‘binary choice’’ between recognising Palestine as a state, or supporting a two-state solution. New Zealand has since last week advocated for a ceasefire in the conflict, Mahuta said.