New Zealand weighs recognition of Palestine as allies push ahead – The Front Page

The clock is ticking for New Zealand to join a throng of other countries recognising the state of Palestine.

Britain, Canada and Australia have all formally recognised Palestine, with the likes of Portugal, France and several others to follow at the United Nations General Assembly this week.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said a preliminary decision on whether our country will recognise Palestine’s statehood has been made. Still, a final decision will not be announced until later this week.

Luxon doesn’t feel we are now trailing behind. “It’s not a race,” he said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the latest recognitions, saying a Palestinian state would be a “huge reward to terrorism” and “will not happen”.

University of Waikato international law professor Alexander Gillespie told The Front Page he would be surprised if New Zealand doesn’t follow suit.

“That would be a very unusual step. Even the timing so far and the fact that we’re not going forward in the same motion of the scrum is unusual,” Gillespie said.

“The only certainty we have right now is that the last eight decades have failed and the situation is worsening,” he said.

Gillespie said Israel is likely to object to any recognition of Palestine.

“This means that as each country deals bilaterally with Palestine, how they respond will be different than in the past. Some countries will find it easier if they recognise Palestine to move towards considerations like sanctions or other international condemnations, such as boycotts of the country.

“There’s a risk here for Israel that it could become a pariah state, the way that South Africa became a pariah state with the apartheid regime,” Gillespie said.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about:

• The legalities of statehood
• The political challenges ahead
• Potential global fallout for Israel
• What constitutes a genocide
• The role of smaller states like New Zealand.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.