New Zealand will not recognise a Palestinian state at this time but remains committed to a two-state solution, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.
“With a war raging, Hamas remaining the de facto government of Gaza, and no clarity on next steps, too many questions remain about the future state of Palestine for it to be prudent for New Zealand to announce recognition at this time,” Winston Peters said in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday.
“We are also concerned that a fochamasus on recognition, in the current circumstances, could complicate efforts to secure a ceasefire by pushing Israel and Hamas into even more intransigent positions," he added.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in Auckland on Saturday that "recognition of Palestinian statehood is a question of when, not if".
New Zealand's position is out of step with traditional partners Australia, Canada and Britain who all recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday. The move aligned them with more than 140 other countries also backing Palestinians' aspiration to forge an independent homeland from the occupied territories.
A handout from the New Zealand government on Friday said that it hoped to recognise a Palestinian state at a time when the situation on the ground offers greater prospects for peace and negotiation than at present.
New Zealand's opposition Labour Party criticised the decision and said it would put the country on the wrong side of history.
Georgia and Armenia have resumed talks on their 225-kilometre border after years of limited progress, with disputes over historical boundaries, far...
China has extended the suspension of its additional 24 per cent tariff on U.S. goods for another two months, while keeping a 10 per cent levy in pl...
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security...
The gunman who allegedly killed six people in Poland’s unprecedented mass shooting in central Kraków on Saturday has died in hospital, police said early Monday. The attacker had demonstrated advanced military-style marksmanship skills, according to a spokesperson for the shooting club he attended.
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
Azerbaijan is marking the sixth anniversary of Victory Day on Sunday, 8 November, with President Ilham Aliyev visiting the Victory Monument in Khankendi, laying a wreath and paying tribute to servicemen killed during the 44-day Second Garabagh War in 2020.
China has extended the suspension of its additional 24 per cent tariff on U.S. goods for another two months, while keeping a 10 per cent levy in place, as Beijing and Washington seek to maintain their fragile trade truce.
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security guarantees and territorial disputes expected to shape the negotiations.
The bodies of 13 migrants have been recovered from a boat off the Greek island of Crete, the Greek coast guard said on Monday. A further 18 people were rescued, with four taken to hospital.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, with trying to form a government after an inconclusive election. The decision, announced on Saturday, follows a vote that left neither candidate with a clear path to power.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on Monday as efforts to end the conflict with Iran stall, with Washington and Tehran still far apart on the terms of a possible agreement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment