PSNA is shocked to see New Zealand’s backward slide in foreign policy continue this morning with Winston Peters’ name missing from a letter signed by 21 foreign ministers condemning Israel’s approval for a new illegal Israel settlement in the occupied West Bank of Palestine.

The 21 foreign ministers who signed the letter include those we like to compare ourselves to and include the foreign ministers from three of the so-called “five eyes” countries – Australian, Canada and the UK – but not New Zealand! (The 21 foreign ministers who signed the letter are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom)

“Winston Peters’ shock omission from this letter represents another dramatic backward shift in foreign policy” says PSNA Co-Chair John Minto. “While the world is outraged at Israel’s deliberate attempt to “bury” the two-state solution by splitting the occupied West Bank in two, Winston Peters is nowhere to be seen”

In the past New Zealand has spoken out strongly condemning illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territories and in 2016, under a National-led government, New Zealand co-sponsored United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 which said Israeli settlements had “no legal validity” and constituted “a flagrant violation under international law”.

But instead of signing the letter, Winston Peters was cosying up to Israel’s chief genocide enabler, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a phone call.

“The situation for our foreign policy is now dire. We are the shame of so-called liberal democracies”

Christopher Luxon has contracted out foreign affairs to the most reactionary section of his coalition government and Winston Peters is enacting policy for the 6% who voted for him at the last election.

The PSNA opinion poll last month showed strong popular support for sanctions against Israel but also showed a majority of New Zealand First supporters don’t want sanctions.

“We have the party of 6% now driving foreign policy to its own agenda”

“It’s an outrage against New Zealanders deeply upset by government silence over Israel’s starvation of the people of Gaza”

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