New Zealand leader says Netanyahu has 'lost the plot' over Gaza

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost the plot.” He made the comment on Wednesday (August 13) as Wellington considers whether to recognise Palestinian state.

He condemed the Prime Minister for the take over of Gaza City, calling the lack of humanitarian assistance and forceful displacement of people "utterly appalling."

“What we are seeing overnight, the attack on Gaza City, is utterly, utterly unacceptable”, said Luxon.

He said that New Zealand was considering whether to recognise a Palestinian state.

Close ally Australia on Monday joined Canada, the UK and France in announcing it would do the same at the U.N. conference in September.

Meanwhile, a small number of protesters gathered outside the country’s parliament building in Tel Aviv Tuesday night after the parliamentary session. They were hitting pots and pans and shouting slogans “MPs grow a spine, recognise Palestine.”

Britain, Canada, Australia, and several European allies said yesterday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached “unimaginable levels.” 

They urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the Strip. However, Israel has denied responsibility for the hunger in Gaza, accusing Hamas of stealing it, which Hamas has denied.

At the same time, New Zealand Co-leader of the Green Party, Chloe Swarbrick, was kicked out from parliament's debating chamber after she refused to apologise for a comment implying government politicians were showing no backbone for not supporting a bill to “sanction Israel for its war crimes."

Swarbrick was ordered to leave the debating chamber for a second day on Wednesday after she again refused to apologise. The government voted to suspend her, when she refused to leave, initially for a week. However the speaker of the house said he would give her the opportunity to apologise tomorrow. 

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