Foreign Minister Winston Peters is due to give his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday morning in New York outlining the government’s views on the state of world affairs.

“New Zealanders expect that the Foreign Minister will be absolutely clear in his remarks that Israel’s illegal occupation and genocide will no longer be tolerated. He must be clear that Israel’s attacks on Lebanon must cease immediately,” said Valerie Morse, spokesperson for Peace Action Wellington.

“We applaud the recent courageous Aotearoa New Zealand vote for a UN resolution calling on Israel to end its unlawful presence in the occupied territories. However, these symbolic resolutions must be backed up by real material actions.”

“Like the actions taken to stop Russia, Israel must be subjected to sanctions and commercial trade embargos to drain it of the resources to continue its genocide of Palestinian people and its provocation of war in Lebanon.”

“This session of the United Nations is critically important for Aotearoa New Zealand because the world is at a crossroads: international law is being thrown away in favour of hard power politics. That does not serve the interests of small countries like Aotearoa New Zealand. It is harmful for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

“The Foreign Minister must be clear that Aotearoa New Zealand will be a force for upholding international law no matter who is involved. Siding with a genocidal regime involved in mass human rights abuses is not the hallmark of a free and democratic society. That the other Five Eyes countries continue to support Israel shows the moral bankruptcy of their claims to care about rights and seriously undermines their credibility on the world stage.”

“Since October, the world has seen the face of Zionist terrorism exposed in its full horror. There is no going back to the false narratives and double-standards that have upheld Israel since 1948. The UN must act decisively to end the genocide and occupation, and to stop a wider war. Aotearoa New Zealand must be on the right side of history.”

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