NZ set to finalise its Palestine position ahead of UN meeting

Monday, 11 August 2025

Australia followed the UK in confirming they would formally recognise Palestine when the UN General Debate is held during leaders’ week at the end of September.

Cabinet has discussed whether to formally recognise the state of Palestine, with Foreign Minister Winston Peters expecting to have an answer by the time he travels to the United Nations next month.

Peters confirmed the discussion on Monday afternoon, a few minutes before Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, held a press conference in Canberra to confirm Australia would formally recognise Palestinian statehood.

The New Zealand Government has been tip-toeing around this question for some months. Last month, Peters said it was too soon for New Zealand to formally recognise Palestine as a state - but he continued to say that, one day, that recognition would be formalised.

“If we recognise the State of Palestine, New Zealand wants to know that what we are recognising is a legitimate, representative, viable political entity,” he said.

This decision is part of Australia's efforts to contribute to a two-state solution, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong believe is the best path to end the cycle of violence in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Cabinet met to discuss the issue after he spoke with leaders from the UK, Australia and France “over the past week”. All of those countries have moved to recognise the state of Palestine in recent weeks.

He wouldn’t say what criteria Palestine would need to reach for New Zealand to recognise its statehood, or what further work Cabinet needed to do to make that happen.

The only bottom line stated by Luxon was that there was “no role for Hamas in any future Palestinian state”.

But the discussion about Palestinian statehood is not focused on Hamas, it’s focused on the Palestinian Authority - which lost control of Gaza due to its own conflict with Hamas.

Opposition criticise ‘empty’ statement

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the Government had failed to show a “principled stance”, and had embarrassed New Zealand by leaving it as one of the few countries not to recognise Palestine.

“We do seem to be waiting for other countries to take a principled stance before we’re willing to do so. That’s not New Zealand's tradition. We’ve generally stood up for our values and our principles,” he said.

Why did the war begin, and what toll is it taking?

Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said recognising Palestine was the “bare minimum New Zealanders should expect” from the Government.

“The Greens put forward a motion in Parliament to do this in 2021. National and ACT voted it down. Four years later, those same parties are tying their own hands to do the most basic things,” she said.

What is the Government’s position?

However, last month, Peters said he was talking to “a range of countries all around the world, including speaking to the Palestinian Authority”, about officially recognising Palestine.

New Zealand is one of a shrinking number of countries that do not recognise Palestine as a state.

On Monday, Australia followed the UK in confirming they would formally recognise Palestine when the UN General Debate is held during leaders’ week at the end of September.

Peters noted Australia’s announcement, but said that was not reason enough to change policy.

“Some of New Zealand’s close partners have opted to recognise a Palestinian state, and some have not,” he said.

“Ultimately, New Zealand has an independent foreign policy, and on this issue, we intend to weigh up the issue carefully and then act according to New Zealand’s principles, values and national interest.”

Foreign Minister Winston Peters will represent New Zealand at the UN General Assembly next month.

Peters would be representing New Zealand at the UN General Assembly again this year. He said he expected Cabinet would have come to a decision in September, meaning he should have an answer to take to New York at the end of next month.

“This is not a straightforward, clear-cut issue,” Peters said, in a statement on Monday.

There are a broad range of strongly held views within our Government, Parliament and indeed New Zealand society over the question of recognition of a Palestinian state.

“It is only right that this complicated issue be approached calmly, cautiously and judiciously,” he added.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised countries that have voiced support for recognising Palestine.

Israel hits out at Australia, plans full military takeover of Gaza

Over the past year, a number of countries - including Spain, Ireland and Norway - have moved to formally recognise Palestine. Meanwhile, at the UN General Debate next month, more countries were expected to formally vote to support the statehood of Palestine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hit out against countries that have voiced support for Palestine.

On Monday, he described Australia’s support as “shameful”.

Netanyahu said he would take “overriding security control” of Gaza, one of the occupied Palestinian territories. Meanwhile, in the West Bank - the other territory - Israeli settlers have continued using force to occupy more land, with the support of some of Netanyahu’s Government.