Gaza war ‘utter catastrophe’ – Peters
Foreign Minister Winston
Peters has told the UN General Assembly the war in Gaza is an
“utter catastrophe” that has left the Palestinian territory a “wasteland”.
Peters spoke at the UN General Assembly in New York yesterday. He was scheduled to speak immediately after Russia, China, Israel, and Palestine gave their speeches to the 193 countries that make up the General Assembly. He criticised the UN Security Council for failing to act decisively in response to the war, acknowledged Israel’s “belated announcements” it would provide more aid, and re-stated New Zealand’s support for a two-state solution.
He began the speech by condemning Palestinian terror organisation Hamas for its “heinous” attacks on Israelis on October 7, but said “at the same time, the facts on the ground in Gaza are absolutely clear”.
“More than 32,000 people have been killed. Millions have been displaced. Warnings ring in our ears that famine in Gaza is imminent.
“Gaza, which was already facing huge challenges before this conflict, is now a wasteland. Worse still, another generation of young Palestinians – already scarred by violence – is being further traumatised.”
Peters said Israel could not “be under any misconceptions as to its legal obligations” after the International Court of Justice last month ordered unimpeded aid be allowed into Gaza. “New Zealand is gravely concerned by repeated indications from Israel that it may soon launch a military offensive into Rafah. Palestinian civilians must not be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas. The risks of the wider region being further drawn into this conflict also remain alarmingly high. We strongly urge regional actors, including Iran, to exercise maximum restraint.” He said the use of the “veto” by countries on the Security Council had prevented decisive action. “This has seen the council fail in its responsibility to maintain international peace and security,” Peters said.
He remains in the US for the remainder for the week to meet UN and US officials.