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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says an official declaration of famine in Gaza will not speed up his decision on declaring a Palestinian state.
For the first time, United Nations-backed food security body IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification), has officially declared that famine is present in Gaza.
Despite Australia announcing it would recognise a Palestinian state in September, the prime minister had not confirmed whether New Zealand would follow suit.
On Sunday, he said the government would not rush its decision.
“We’re working through our own process and will have more to talk about that with respect to September, and each country is coming into its own view.
“What we’re doing is calling out military action into Gaza City and the extremist settlements in the West Bank, with an explicit aim of removing the two-state solution.”
He said conditions in Gaza were unacceptable.
“I think we’ve plumbed new depths. When you’re seeing famine validated and verified, examples of famine that have taken place in Gaza, that is something none of us want to see.
“That’s why, as a global community, there’s immense frustration, because we’ve been calling for unfettered humanitarian access now for 6-9 months.”
He said Israel’s annexation of Gaza and the forcible displacement of Palestinians was incredibly concerning.
“Israel has a responsibility to make sure that it can get aid and humanitarian assistance into Gaza, and when you’re seeing famine and so much dislocation – 94 percent of hospital’s destroyed or out of action, 90 percent of gaza in rubble – and you’re now saying you’re moving into Gaza City where people are, where do they go?
“There’s no free flow of aid and assistance coming in. That’s why the global community is incredibly frustrated about it.
“I’ve been calling for a long time for the immediate release of hostages. We want Israel to offer unhindered, unfettered access to humanitarian agencies to get in there and provide the food they need to, particularly the UN and other neutral NGOs [non-government organisations] that can do that job.
“Obviously, we need to get to a ceasefire solution very quickly and back to a two-state solution.”
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