New Zealand says "considering" recognition of Palestinian state

New Zealand's Cabinet is set to make a formal decision in September on whether to recognize a Palestinian state, following an announcement from Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

The move follows a period of mounting international pressure and domestic debate, and marks an acceleration of New Zealand's long-held position that recognition is a matter of "when, not if".

The government's approach is described as "careful, methodical and deliberate," with a key focus on determining if the "pre-requisites for a viable and legitimate Palestinian state" exist in terms of security, political stability, diplomacy, and economic viability, a statement by the country’s foreign minister said.

A central condition for recognition is that Hamas must disarm and be excluded from any future Palestinian governance.

The government recently designated the entire Hamas organization as a “terrorist entity” and banned extremist ‘Israeli’ settlers involved in violence in the West Bank.

This deliberation places New Zealand squarely within a shifting international consensus. The country recently joined 15 other nations in signing the "New York Call," a proposal to formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

This aligns New Zealand with countries like Australia, France, and the UK, all of which have made similar pledges or are moving towards recognition.

Meanwhile, Spain, Ireland, and Norway have already granted formal recognition.

At home, the government's cautious stance has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. Labour leader Chris Hipkins called the government's position "well overdue," arguing it lacks a "coherent position" and is unable to articulate clear criteria for its decision.

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick described the government's statements as "empty" and introduced a member's bill to sanction ‘Israel’.

The bill has the support of all 55 opposition MPs and would only need six government MPs to support it to be brought to Parliament for debate.