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NZ vote in favour of a UN resolution
Friday, 30 November 2012, 5:33 pm
Press Release: Palestine Human Rights Campaign
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New Zealand's vote in favour of a United Nations
resolution
PRESS RELEASE: 30 November 2012. The Palestine
Human Rights Campaign welcomes New Zealand's vote in favour
of a United Nations resolution giving non-member observer
status to Palestine. New Zealand's vote for the resolution
was, however, not wholehearted. Our Foreign Affairs Minister
Murray McCully made the reservation that his government “.
. . is under no illusions as to the utility of a UN
resolution" and that, “It will solve nothing. But in the
absence of the direct talks we have called for, we will deal
with the UN resolution on its merits.”
That statement
is of course pointless because if McCully believes that the
UN resolution solves nothing then plainly he regards it as
having no merits. Prior to the vote at the UN, 75% of the
world’s population, 132 countries, had already formally
recognised the State of Palestine so New Zealand was finding
itself at odds with the majority of world opinion.
Israel
was conditionally admitted to the UN under a requirement to
implement General Assembly resolution 194, including the
Palestinian right of return and the role of the UN in
facilitating peace in the region. The international
community demonstrably has a clear moral and legal
obligation to support the Palestinians in their quest for
self-determination. McCully's insistence on requiring
defenceless Palestinians to negotiate their freedom directly
with their oppressor has achieved nothing but an agonising
delay of over half a century at great advantage to
Israel.
Nevertheless, we hope that New Zealand's vote for
the resolution signals the beginnings of a genuine shift in
policy. Respect for the provisions of international law that
already contain the basis for a solution are far more
conducive to the achievement of peace and stability than the
coercive path that has proved itself so
sterile.
ENDS
© Scoop Media

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