The Government will decide in September whether New Zealand will formally recognise a state of Palestine, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.
Peters says he had taken an oral item to Cabinet on the matter, ahead of a formal consideration next month.
He said the decision would be “calmly, cautiously and judiciously” weighed up, with a broad range of views canvassed before Cabinet makes a call.
“The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is rightly at the forefront of the global agenda,” Peters said.
“New Zealand, as a long-standing supporter of the two-state solution and Palestinian self-determination, is an active participant in discussions about how to broker a ceasefire and a political settlement to enable Israelis and Palestinians to live peacefully side-by-side.”
While Peters noted that some of New Zealand’s close partners have opted to recognise a Palestinian state, and some have not,” he stressed that New Zealand has “an independent foreign policy” and would act according to its “principles, values and national interest.”
New Zealand’s position has long been that recognition is “a matter of when, not if,” but the timing would depend on whether the preconditions for a viable and legitimate Palestinian state, in security, political, diplomatic and economic terms, had been met, Peters said.
Peters acknowledged the issue was far from straightforward and said there were “strongly held views” across Government, Parliament and New Zealand society.
Cabinet’s formal decision will be taken before Peters travels to New York in late September for the United Nations Leaders’ Week, where he will outline the Government’s position.