New Zealand politician removed from parliament following comments in Palestinian debate
An urgent debate was called after the centre-right government said on Monday it was weighing up its position on whether to recognise a Palestinian state.
Close ally Australia on Monday joined Canada, the UK and France in announcing it would recognise a Palestinian state at a UN conference in September.
Swarbrick, who is co-leader of the Green Party, said New Zealand was a "laggard' and an "outlier' and the lack of decision was appalling before calling on some government members to support a bill to "sanction Israel for its war crimes."
The bill was proposed by her party in March and is supported by all opposition parties.
"If we find six of 68 Government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history," said Swarbrick.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee said that statement was "completely unacceptable' and she had to withdraw it and apologise. When she refused, Swarbrick was ordered to leave parliament.
Brownlee later clarified Swarbrick could return on Wednesday but if she still refused to apologise she would again be removed from parliament.
New Zealand has said it will make a decision in September about whether it would recognise Palestine as a state.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters told parliament that over the next month the government would gather information and talk to partners, which would inform cabinet's decision.
"We'll be weighing this decision carefully rather than rushing to judgement,' Peters said.
Along with the Green Party, opposition parties Labour and Te Pati Maori support recognition of a Palestinian state.
Labour parliamentarian Peeni Henare said New Zealand had a history of standing strong on its principles and values and in this case "was being left behind.' - Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Stalled at Rafah: Turned back from Gaza, aid shipments languish in warehouses and roadsides as Palestinians starve
RAFAH (Egypt), Aug 14 — Boxes of Gaza-bound aid turned back by Israel on Sunday languished atop a truck and flatbed trailer parked metres from its border with Egypt, as exasperated drivers and UN officials criticised delays in sending food and medicine to the enclave. Seven aid officials and three truckers interviewed by Reuters listed a host of obstacles, ranging from rejections of shipments for minor packing and paperwork issues to heavy scrutiny over possible dual military use for a range of goods, as well as short working hours at the Israeli border crossing. The supplies seen by Reuters on Monday on the stalled truck and trailer outside Egypt's Rafah border crossing carried blue logos of the World Health Organisation and labels describing contents like topical medications and suction devices to clean wounds. A WHO employee working at the border said the cargo was blocked for carrying 'illegal medicines'. Reuters could not independently verify why the trucks were not allowed to enter Gaza and the Israeli military authority in charge of coordinating aid did not respond to a question about why they were not let into the enclave. Reuters visited Egypt's border with Gaza on Monday on a trip organised by the Elders, a group of former world leaders set up by late South African President Nelson Mandela that backs a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some Elders members have been highly critical of Israel's conduct in Gaza, including former Irish President Mary Robinson and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who joined the border trip. Damaged humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza lies scattered on the ground next to broken-down trucks near the border with the Gaza Strip, close to the Kissufim crossing in southern Israel August 13, 2025. — AFP pic Responding to international outrage sparked by images of starving Gazans, Israel on July 27 announced measures to let more aid into Gaza. But aid agencies say only a fraction of what they send is getting in. Israel strongly denies limiting aid supplies. Speaking to reporters at the Rafah crossing, Clark expressed shock at the amount of aid turned back at the border. 'To see this crossing, which should be a place where people interact with each other, where people can come and go, where people aren't under blockade, where people who are ill can leave to come out — to see it just silent for the people, it's absolutely shocking for us,' Clark said. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid line up near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt August 13, 2025. — Reuters pic 'Bureaucratic hurdles, delays' Approvals and clearance procedures that got a shipment through the Rafah border crossing 'within a few days' of arrival in Egypt during a ceasefire earlier in the war now took 'minimum one month,' according to the WHO employee at the border. On Monday, the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said at least 1,334 trucks had entered Gaza through all land crossings, including from Egypt, since the Israeli measures announced on July 27, but this was far short of the 9,000 that would have gone in if 600 trucks had entered per day. The United States has said a minimum of 600 trucks per day are needed to feed Gaza's population. Reuters could not independently confirm the reasons for the delays described in this article or the specific figures supplied by those interviewed. Asked for its response to allegations of curbs on aid flows, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, Cogat, said Israel invests 'considerable efforts' in aid distribution. It said about 300 trucks had been transferred daily in 'recent weeks,' mostly carrying food, via all land crossings. 'Despite the claims made, the State of Israel allows and facilitates the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip without any quantitative limit on the number of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip,' Cogat said. The agency did not address specific questions about aid shipment volumes. In mid-July, Israel introduced a requirement that shipments of humanitarian aid arriving from Egypt undergo customs clearance. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israel's move led to 'additional bureaucratic hurdles, delays, and costs for humanitarian organisations.' UN agencies were exempted from customs clearance from Egypt from July 27 to August 3, Ocha said in a report on August 6. While not officially extended, the exemption still appeared to be in place, it said. Other international NGOs could be exempted only on a case-by-case basis and only for health items. More than 200 Gazans have died of malnutrition or starvation in the war, according to Palestinian health authorities, adding to the over 61,000 dead they say have been killed by military action. The UN human rights office and several expert studies have said the number is probably an undercount. Israel has disputed the Gaza health ministry figures, which do not distinguish between fighters and civilians, and says at least a third of the fatalities are militants. On Monday, Cogat said a review by its medical experts found the number of deaths reported by the Gaza health ministry due to malnutrition was inflated and most of those 'allegedly dying from malnutrition' had pre-existing conditions. People stand in front of a warehouse for aid deliveries, waiting to be delivered to Gaza, at a logistics site run by the Egyptian Red Crescent, outside Arish, Egypt August 11, 2025. — Reuters pic A warehouse of rejected goods Drivers coming from Egypt cannot go directly to the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, which had been operated by the Hamas-run border authority but is now closed. Instead, they route to the Israeli crossing of Kerem Shalom, about three km to the south, where shipments undergo checks. Kamel Atteiya Mohamed, an Egyptian truck driver, estimated that of the 200 or 300 trucks trying to get through this route every day, only 30 to 50 make it. 'They tell you, for example, that the pallet doesn't have a sticker, the pallet is tilted, or the pallet is open from the top. This is no reason for us to return it,' he told Reuters. He said that while the Egyptian crossing was open day and night, drivers often arrived at Kerem Shalom only to find it closed, as it does not normally operate beyond weekday business hours. 'Every day it's like this,' he said. 'Honestly, we're fed up.' While Cogat did not address specific questions about the driver's remarks and allegations of inflexible working hours, it said that 'hundreds of truckloads of aid still await collection by the UN and international organisations' on the Palestinian side of the border crossings. A logistics site set up by the Egyptian Red Crescent near El Arish town, 40km from the border, where shipments coming from Egypt to Gaza are loaded, has a tarp tent warehouse devoted to goods turned back from the border. A Reuters reporter saw rows of white oxygen tanks, as well as wheelchairs, car tires and cartons labelled as containing generators and first-aid kits and with logos of aid groups from countries such as Luxembourg and Kuwait, among others. Reuters was not able to verify when the items at the Red Crescent site were turned back or on what grounds. Aid workers describe such rejections as routine. Speaking at the meeting with the Elders that Reuters attended, one World Food Programme worker said that only 73 of the 400 trucks the agency had sent since July 27 had made it in. UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA has not been allowed to send aid into Gaza since March. The Ocha August 6 report said no shelter materials had been allowed to enter Gaza since March 2 and those available on the local market were 'prohibitively expensive and limited in quantity.' The WHO employee who works on the border said the truck and trailer seen by Reuters were among three trucks that had been turned back on Sunday. A manifest given for their cargo, seen by Reuters, included urine drainage bags, iodine, plasters and sutures. — Reuters
Barnama
4 hours ago
- Barnama
Malaysia, ASEAN To Hold Talks On Myanmar Election Plans During Sept 19 Working Visit
SEREMBAN, August 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said his official visit to Myanmar on Sept 19, together with his counterparts from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, will, among other matters, discuss the methods for implementing the planned elections in the country. Mohamad said the delegation's meeting with Myanmar's Acting President aims to ensure that the elections, scheduled for the end of this year, truly benefit the people of Myanmar. He added that the outcome of the visit will be presented to the leadership during the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 26 to 28. bootstrap slideshow According to him, Myanmar must also fully comply with the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), which includes a ceasefire, inclusive dialogue, and unhindered humanitarian assistance, as key steps towards restoring peace and stability in the country. 'As long as the security and political stability situation in Myanmar has not been restored and a democratically elected government not formed, the Rohingya refugee issue cannot be resolved. Bangladesh is currently managing 1.3 million Rohingya in their country, particularly in the Cox's Bazar area. 'Malaysia is no exception — we are hosting nearly 150,000 Rohingya refugees. As a member of the United Nations (UN), we are accepting them only on a temporary basis, not permanently,' he told reporters after officiating the handover of the Covered Open Multipurpose Hall at SK Lavender Heights in Seremban today. Mohamad said he also wants clarification on whether the elections will be held nationwide, given that there are still 63 towns or areas under a state of emergency imposed by Myanmar's National Defence and Security Council (NDSC). On July 31, it was reported that Myanmar's junta announced the establishment of a new body to organise a general election at the end of this year, effectively ending the state of emergency in force since the 2021 coup. Following the formation of the new Security and Stability Commission, also chaired by Min Aung Hlaing, the junta declared that the state of emergency was officially lifted.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
China backs Thailand and Cambodia in border dispute resolution
BEIJING: China has voiced its support for Thailand and Cambodia in settling their long-standing border dispute. Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed China's willingness to assist both nations based on their mutual interests. Wang emphasised the importance of dialogue and rebuilding trust between the two Southeast Asian countries. The discussions took place during the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Yunnan province. Thailand and Cambodia have faced tensions over border issues for decades, with recent clashes escalating in May. A ceasefire was established in late July after the deadliest fighting in over a decade. Wang also highlighted China's commitment to speeding up the China-Thailand railway project. He encouraged increased investments from Chinese businesses in Thailand to stabilise regional supply chains. The minister urged Thailand to offer more policy support for Chinese enterprises during talks with Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa. In a separate meeting with Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Wang praised Cambodia's political stability. He commended Cambodia's efforts in combating online gambling and wire fraud. Wang called for continued regional cooperation to tackle cross-border criminal activities. Criminal networks have exploited Southeast Asia, including Thai-Myanmar border areas, for illegal online scams. The UN reports that thousands have been trafficked and forced into fraudulent operations. China has intensified regional collaboration this year to dismantle scam networks following public outcry. Cases involving Chinese victims gained widespread attention on domestic social media platforms. - Reuters
