Helen Clark criticised the Government's decision not to recognise Palestine, calling it 'the wrong side of history'. Photo / RNZ
By Anneke Smith of RNZ
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark says New Zealand has put itself on the wrong side of history of Palestinian statehood.
The coalition broke from its traditional ally countries on the question of recognising the State of Palestine in New York on Saturday, retaining its status quo “when not if” approach.
It leaves New Zealand with half a dozen Pacific Island nations, Singapore, South Korea and the United States which have not recognised Palestine, as the humanitarian crisis on the ground in Gaza worsens.
Clark has been taking part in the 80th United Nations General Assembly this week and said the Government’s decision was very disappointing.
“New Zealand has placed itself very much on the wrong side of history,” she told RNZ.
“As more and more countries move to see that the recognition of Palestine is part of a process of moving towards a solution, New Zealand is lagging behind for reasons which make very little sense at all.”
The Government’s rationale is that with Hamas in place as the de facto government of the Gaza Strip and no clarity on next steps, there is no fully legitimate and viable State of Palestine for New Zealand to recognise.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, who represented the Government at the UN this week, reasoned recent recognition developments had made things worse, not better, for those on the ground in Gaza.
“Hamas has taken enormous propaganda value out of it and with Israel’s side, they’ve snapped and worsened the situation to intolerable levels,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Clark said the Government’s rationale about the present and future governance of Gaza didn’t make sense.
“The Government is saying very confusing things about the role of Hamas, almost conflating its position in Gaza with the position of the Palestinian Authority, which is the elected government in the West Bank area.
“If you recognise the State of Palestine now, you are empowering the Palestinian Authority, which Hamas is not a member of, it’s not even representative of Palestine Liberation Organisation.
“So, not to recognise really stops empowering that Palestinian Authority which, in due course, needs to take over the governance of Gaza.”
She said the Government’s handling of the decision was also confusing, and she believed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should have fronted in New York this week.
“I don’t expect a New Zealand Prime Minister to go to the UN every year, I didn’t myself, but what I find very strange about the way this issue has been handled is that the Cabinet made a decision on recognition 11 days before Winston Peters spoke at the UN.
“New Zealand then got a slot for speaking, which was in a dead zone when most delegations have gone home, it’s almost as if the Government was ashamed of the position.
“Then it was announced at the United Nations, not to the New Zealand public at home the day the decision was taken, but to an international audience in a difficult time zone for New Zealand.
“So the whole thing is very, very strange. The Prime Minister should have gone to his press conference the Monday the Cabinet took the decision and been up front with the Kiwi public.”
Luxon posted a photo of himself at the All Blacks match against the Wallabies at Eden Park on Saturday night.
Clark said this year’s general assembly was an important one, notwithstanding the crisis in Gaza, and Luxon should have been there.
“There were very important discussions this year, including about whether there should be a charter review. The Israeli-Palestinian issues were top of mind, and have to be top of mind because of the unfolding genocide there and the declared famine,” she said.
“This was a year when a prime minister should definitely consider being there... an All Black game at Eden Park is not more important than what was happening in New York.”
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the leader’s primary focus for travel this year had been on trade and the Indo-Pacific.
“Winston Peters is a highly respected Foreign Affairs Minister who will represent New Zealand very well at the UN,” they said.
- RNZ