Te Pāti Māori Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer are demanding that the New Zealand Government expel the Israeli ambassador if Israel does not immediately implement a ceasefire and open safe humanitarian aid corridors for Gaza.

“We condemn Hamas for murdering civilians and taking civilian hostages. We also condemn the retaliatory actions of the Israeli government. The indiscriminate bombing of Gaza by, destroying hospitals and civilian apartment buildings, is unconscionable,” said Rawiri Waititi.

“Targeting civilians is a breach of international law, as is collective punishment – there can be no justification for blocking civilian access to water, power and humanitarian aid.

“Hamas must immediately release hostages and work towards peace. Israel must end their violent onslaught in Gaza and allow international aid groups to help the Palestinian people. If they do not do so immediately, then Aotearoa should expel their ambassador,” said Mr Waititi.

“Western countries are wilfully in denial about the long term aggression by Israel against Palestine. They have instituted an apartheid regime and have blockaded Gaza by land, air and sea,” said Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“The genocidal rhetoric of Israeli ministers and officials is well documented. Their attempts to dehumanise the indigenous peoples of Palestine must be resisted.

“Israel’s colonial occupation of Palestinian lands, engineered by the British Empire, has led to decades of pain, suffering and bloodshed. The international community must exert pressure to end the occupation, the blockade, and the continued confiscation of Palestinian land.

“We must acknowledge the atrocity of colonisation and the intergenerational trauma and extremism it produces. We must continue to fight for peace and justice for all indigenous peoples who continue to suffer from violent colonisation and imperialism,” said Mrs Ngarewa-Packer.

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