Auckland: New Zealand will not be recognising the State of Palestine at this time, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced at the UN General Assembly in New York today.

“With a war raging, Hamas remaining the de facto government of Gaza, and no clarity on next steps, too many questions remain about the future State of Palestine for it to be prudent for New Zealand to announce recognition at this time,” Peters says.

“We are also concerned that a focus on recognition, in the current circumstances, could complicate efforts to secure a ceasefire by pushing Israel and Hamas into even more intransigent positions.”

New Zealand continues to call out all actions being taken by both Israel and Hamas which prolong the conflict, prevent a political solution, and seek to extinguish the viability

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