A senior Labour MP has accused Israel of carrying out genocide in Gaza during a heated Parliamentary debate regarding Government support for a ceasefire.
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters put forward a motion calling on all parties involved in the conflict - including countries with influence in the region - to “take urgent steps towards establishing a ceasefire”.
The motion was supported by all parties but debate drew some heated discussion and proposed amendments from the Green Party and Labour that it better recognised the loss of lives, including over 16,000 in Palestine and about 1200 in Israel, and called for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” rather than “steps towards” one.
Peters’ motion asked Parliament to express grave concern at the ongoing violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Peters said the Government also “unequivocally condemn” the Hamas terror attacks of October 7 and calls for the release of all hostages.
He moved that Parliament recognises Israel’s right to defend itself acting in accordance with international law and that all civilians be protected from armed conflict.
The debate began with Labour’s associate foreign affairs spokesman Damien O’Connor saying what was happening in Gaza was “nothing more than a genocide”.
He said New Zealand had a “proud history” of independent foreign policy and accused the Government of simply following the United States.
“The situation in Gaza is absolutely appalling. No person with any ounce of moral courage can see this as anything more than a genocide,” O’Connor said.
“I call upon Israel, a nation that has been set up and seeks sympathy and support because of the Holocaust and the outrageous outcomes—I call on that nation to look at itself and to apply the same humanity to the people of Palestine.”
He said Labour supported a two-state solution and rights of Israelis and Palestinians.
“But bombing killing and slaughtering innocent children … that is outrageous and we as a country has been a little slow in calling for a ceasefire, that is the minimum.
“A call to end this depravity, this genocide, this slaughter, no nice words can change the reality of that.”
O’Connor said there was “no excuse” for the Hamas attacks that sparked the recent conflict, but also questioned the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Later in Question Time, Green MP Golriz Ghahraman said the Government’s statement was not enough and also accused Israel of war crimes, including genocide.
In response, Peters said that claim had not been proven and had to be investigated by the International Court of Justice.
On Wednesday, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said there was a heightened risk of “atrocity crimes” in Gaza, but did not go as far to say genocide was occurring.
Türk has also called for an investigation into the Hamas attacks on October 7, including allegations of sexual violence.
Minister of Trade Todd McClay said the Government supported Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas, but must abide by international law.
He said they were also calling on Hamas to release all hostages, cease its attacks on Israel and “deplorable” use of citizens as human shields.
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson also called for amendments to the motion calling for an immediate ceasefire and to add that “over 16,000 people, including children, together with 1200 killed in Israel”.
She said it was “grotesque” to describe Israel’s actions as self-defence, instead calling it “murder, genocide and slaughter”.
“How else to describe this than anything other than genocide,” Davidson said.
She said the Greens supported the Government now calling for steps towards a ceasefire but questioned where it was when there were “many thousands of dead children many weeks ago”.
Labour MP Phil Twyford, who last term had been behind a policy to recognise Palestine as a state, said while he supported the motion the question needed to be asked of what came after.
He proposed an amendment to the motion to reaffirm New Zealand’s support for a two-state solution, which was supported by the Government.
He said the only way for lasting peace was to support self-determination of both Israel and Palestine, and recognise Palestine as an independent state as part of a two state solution.
“Bombing people into oblivion will simply breed extremism,” he said.
Twyford said too few people had spoken out against the settlements, that undermined the viability of a two-state solution.
He referenced a UNSC resolution sponsored by New Zealand in 2016 under a National-led Government that did so, and urged the current Government to continue to do so.
Peters defended the Government’s motion saying it was in line with the United Nations Secretary General on December 4 when he reiterated the call for a “sustained humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza”.
Peters accused some of the opposition MPs as “virtue signalling” in their statements.
He also referenced a quote from the leader of the Labour Party in the UK Keir Starmer, who said, “We will only reach that long-term solution if Israel is assured that Hamas cannot carry out an attack like October 7 ever again.”
Act Party MP Simon Court also about the rise in anti-semitism since Hamas’ attacks and reports of increased attacks on the Jewish community here and around the world.
Court said they faced an “existential threat” and that Act supported the Government’s motion.
He said there would never be a lasting peace until Hamas, fellow terror organisation Hezbollah, and Iran along with other nations recognise Israel’s right to exist.
Court said Palestinians had been held hostage by Hamas, which saw an interjection from Green MP Chloe Swarbrick: “Where did Hamas come from, Simon?”
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer claimed Israel’s actions were not “not self-defence.”
“We are witnessing the ethnic cleansing and the attempted genocide of a people,” she alleged.
She said as a descendant of Parihaka she believed she had a duty to call it out and accused the Government of not taking a stronger stand because the impacts of colonisation were “too close to home”.
“We’re still not comfortable talking about our own history,” she said.
Ngarewa-Packer said they supported the motion but asked what more the Government would do to ensure a ceasefire was achieved, what pressure it would put on international powers like the United States, which provides billions of dollars in military support to Israel.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not speak during the debate, but in response to questions from Opposition leader Chris Hipkins said the Government would like to see an like to see an “enduring, sustainable ceasefire” but both parties needed to agree to it.
Hipkins had last month called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the conflict while the coalition was still in negotiations to form a government.
Earlier, Ghahraman told the Herald that New Zealand calling for an immediate ceasefire would have influence internationally given it would be the first of the five-eyes alliance - including United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia - to do so.
“It would be so significant to have a five eyes member state, a Western, English-speaking member of the Commonwealth and a nation with such a special place in the Pacific to actually stand up for a ceasefire now.”
Ghahraman said it looked like the foreign policy decisions were being led by diplomats who are “being led by their mates in the US”.
“It’s deeply disappointing that New Zealand hasn’t taken an independent principled stance on this.”
Ghahraman said New Zealand had long had an independent stance on the conflict but was looking “increasingly Americanised”.
Meanwhile, today United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked a rarely used article of the UN charter described as the most powerful tool he has, to warn of the “severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza” and urged the Security Council to intervene.
It is the first time this power has been used since Guterres became Secretary-General in 2017.
Banks are to benefit from the controversial decision.