Joint Statement In Response To Government Declaration On Gaza
This statement is not only misguided, it represents a dangerous inversion of reality, in which:
Terrorists are excused, and defenders are condemned
Hamas's propaganda is cited as fact, and verified Israeli efforts are ignored
The thief is pitied, and those delivering food under fire are vilified
Blaming the Rescuers, Not the Arsonists
The joint statement accuses Israel of 'inhumane' killing and 'drip-feeding' aid. Yet it is Hamas (the very group that started this war with a massacre on October 7 2023) that:
Steals aid, sells it, and redistributes it to fighters;
Creates disturbances and fires on civilians at aid stations to induce panic and lay blame on Israel;
Places bounties on aid workers not under its control.
To accuse Israel of causing the humanitarian crisis while ignoring Hamas's central role is to blame the firefighter for the fire. Israel has worked hard to coordinate necessary aid to the extent that there are currently hundreds of truckloads of food on the Gaza side of the border in need of distribution. Thus, there is no "drip-feeding" by Israel.
Treating Terrorist Casualty Reports as Gospel
The casualty numbers cited (tens of thousands of 'civilians' killed) come directly from Hamas's so-called 'Gaza Health Ministry.' This is not a neutral medical authority. It is:
A Hamas-run information weapon, whose sole aim is to inflate civilian casualties;
A notoriously unreliable source. Due to inconsistencies the UN has quietly revised its own reporting;
Completely opaque and unverifiable, with no distinction between combatants and civilians.
When governments like New Zealand cite these figures without context or scrutiny, they lend credibility to terrorists and undermine genuine humanitarian reporting.
Condemning What Works, Ignoring What Fails
While condemning Israel, the joint statement says nothing about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — the one aid mechanism that actually works:
GHF delivers aid using vetted drivers, uses GPS tracking and bypass routes around Hamas.
It ensures direct civilian access to food and medicine.
It has faced threats and sabotage from Hamas, and—most shockingly—refusal to cooperate from UN agencies and NGOs.
According to a Times of Israel report (22 July 2025), these agencies have declined GHF's repeated offers to collaborate, even as they lament 'lack of access' and blame Israel. This is not humanitarianism — it is institutional dysfunction.
Calling for Ceasefire While Hostages Rot in Tunnels
The joint statement demands an 'immediate, unconditional ceasefire.' But what kind of ceasefire:
Leaves 50 hostages in captivity?
Enables Hamas to rearm, reorganise, and repeat the horrors of October 7?
Forbids Israel from dismantling a terror regime that uses civilians as shields and hospitals as bases?
A ceasefire without the above conditions does not end the war. It guarantees the next one.
When Hamas Applauds You, Something Is Wrong
That Hamas has celebrated the joint statement should alarm every signatory. If your position is being used by a terrorist group as vindication, it is time to re-examine whose reality you are serving.
Why does NZ side with terrorists, when a tiny western style democratic state the size of Northland fights an existential defensive war? Israel did not start this war. She has an obligation to defend her citizens, to do everything possible to free the hostages and to protect her people from future 7 October style massacres.
What Must Happen Now
We urge the New Zealand Government and its partners to:
Withdraw or amend the joint statement, explicitly naming Hamas as the source of Gaza's suffering;
Publicly support the GHF and demand cooperation from UN and NGO agencies obstructing its work;
Reject the inversion of truth, where democracies are condemned and terror groups are given a free pass;
Recognise that Israel is fighting an existential war, and that peace is not possible if a genocidal terror regime is left in place;
Demand the immediate release of all hostages and urge Hamas to accept the ceasefire.
A Final Word: Reality Must Be Respected
This is not a war between equals. It is a fight between a democracy that warns civilians and a death cult that hides behind them. Between those who seek peace and those who glorify death.
Reversing that truth is not diplomacy. It is betrayal.
We call on New Zealand to return to moral clarity — and stop legitimising the lies of Hamas.
Dr David Cumin, Greg Bouwer - Israel Institute NZ
Dr Sheree Trotter - Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem
Rob Berg - Kol Israel
Yifat Goddard, Ashley Church - Israel NZ Network
Dennis Mcleod - Christian Friends of Israel
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Otago Daily Times
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Senior lecturer in law at the University of South Australia Juliette McIntyre told the ABC recently that a state has certain defining features under international law. These features include a permanent population, a determinate territory, an "effective" government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. "In some ways, the most important thing is recognition by other states - this enables entering into diplomatic relations, and membership of international organisations," McIntyre said. The recent announcements by Britain, Canada and others come as coverage of death and famine in Gaza has escalated dramatically. "Recognising a Palestinian state also conveys an urgent acknowledgement that the current situations in Gaza and the West Bank have been characterised by acts that constitute war crimes and represent an unacceptable failure by the occupying power, Israel, to live up to its legal responsibilities toward the Palestinian population it has under its control," Patman said. The United Nations would consider Palestine membership if the Security Council did not veto it. Photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe Well, under United Nations rules, it could be. To become a member of the United Nations, Palestine would submit an application to the Secretary-General and accept member obligations. The UN Security Council would vote on the admission, but none of the five permanent members - China, France, the UK, Russia and the United States - can vote against it. If the Security Council recommends admission, it then goes on to the full General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority vote is necessary. South Sudan is the most recent country to join as a member, in 2011. The United States has previously vetoed attempts to grant Palestine membership. The US has had long-standing support for a two-state solution, but hasn't gone so far as to support Palestinian statehood. It does recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation as the representative entity of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian National Authority as the government of the territories. US President Donald Trump has frequently supported Israel and expressed reservations about recognising Palestine , telling reporters that Starmer's plan would "reward Hamas". "You're rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don't think they should be rewarded." Trump also threatened a trade deal with Canada over their overtures on Palestine. In a statement this week the US Department of State called the UN's recent two-state conference a "publicity stunt" and "a slap in the face to the victims of October 7", and said France's announcement was "welcomed by Hamas". The US could again veto a motion on Palestinian statehood if it comes before the Security Council. Patman said in his view, "the National-led government may be nervous about offending the Trump administration and by taking incremental steps toward recognition may be seeking to minimise that possibility, especially if it believes Trump may be reconsidering his hitherto staunch support for Netanyahu's stance toward Gaza (and West Bank)." People walking amidst the destruction of houses and streets in Khan Yunis, located in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: MOHAMED ZAANOUN / AFP New Zealand has just signed a joint statement with 14 other countries expressing a willingness to recognise the State of Palestine as a necessary step towards a two-state solution. New Zealand also recently joined 24 countries in calling for an end to the war in Gaza , and criticising what they called the inhumane killing of Palestinians. New Zealand had announced $37.5 million in humanitarian aid for the conflict, MFAT said. It also recently banned some Israeli politicians from travel to New Zealand. Realistically, Palestine statehood and recognition by the UN won't happen overnight. But the declarations are also being seen as an attempt to revive peace talks and end the violence. "The window for peace through the two-state solution appeared to be locked shut after the collapse of the peace process that started with real hope in the 1990s," the BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen noted . "Britain's decision to recognise Palestine is a diplomatic crowbar to try to reopen it." New Zealand is a small player on the global scene, but the escalation of major global powers this week chiming in could make Israel more isolated on the issue. "After making such declarations, it will be more difficult for the likes of Britain, Germany and Australia to continue to provide military and intelligence assistance to a Netanyahu government that is using such military force to deny the possibility of a Palestinian state and the outcome of a two-state solution," Patman said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
