New Zealand Moves toward Recognition of Palestine amid Ongoing Israeli Crimes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – New Zealand has confirmed it is weighing official recognition of the State of Palestine, a step that could deal a blow to the diplomatic cover long enjoyed by the Israeli regime.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Monday that the decision will be finalized within a month, following Cabinet discussions on the matter.
According to state-run Radio New Zealand, the government aims to conclude deliberations by September.
Peters is expected to present New Zealand’s position during the UN General Assembly in New York later that month as global outrage over the Gaza genocide continues to mount.
Although the announcement does not immediately alter Wellington’s formal stance, the timeline suggests New Zealand may align with a growing number of Western states breaking ranks with Tel Aviv’s backers to formally acknowledge Palestinian sovereignty.
The move comes as Australia declared it will recognize Palestine at the September UN session.
France has already announced it will do the same, while the United Kingdom has indicated it may support recognition if the Israeli regime fails to meet certain conditions.
Peters acknowledged that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza — the direct result of Israel’s relentless and indiscriminate assaults — is “rightly at the forefront of the global agenda.”
He said New Zealand has been giving the matter “careful, methodical and deliberate attention,” adding that the decision will consider both the rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground and the positions of global partners.
He also referred to demands from some Arab states that Hamas disarm and play no role in future Palestinian governance — a position widely seen as an attempt to appease Western powers rather than confront the root cause of the conflict: decades of Israeli occupation and aggression.
