Robert Patman: International relations professor on Trump's criticism of NZ

The US has criticized New Zealand for banning two Israeli Ministers. 

Winston Peters has decided to jump on the bandwagon with allies such as Australia and Canada by banning Israel’s finance minister and national security minister from entering the country.  

But the US has denounced these sanctions and said that New Zealand should focus on Hamas instead. 

International relations professor Robert Patman talks to Ryan Bridges about the situation and what can be expected from both sides going forward. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The US has criticized US for sanctions on Israel. Winston
Peters joined our allies, Australia, Canada, you name it, banning
Israel's finance minister and national security minister from traveling here.
But the US has now denounced these sanctions and says
we should instead be focused on from US. Robert Petman,
international relations professor, with me this morning, Morning Robert, Good
morning Ryan. How does this should we worry about repercussions

(00:22):
from the US or is this just talk.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
We may to be seen? The thing is that the
status quo, the situation as it is at the moment,
it's just not sustainable. You've got after the shocking Hamas
attack on the seventh October twenty twenty three, when twelve
hundred Israelis or so were killed, we subsequently had what

(00:47):
mister Neechnia who calls a campaign a mighty vengeance in goals,
in which more than fifty four thousand Palestinians, many of
a substantial number of whom had nothing to do with Hamas,
have been killed. So and there's no seaside of the
word as a humanitarian blockade that has been reimposed since
early March with a million Palestines facing starvation. Given this situation,

(01:12):
and given the fact that Israel has not responded to
verbal appeals to lift the humanitarian blockade, I think that
countries that want a two state solution, and mister Nickna,
who doesn't want a two state solution, have little option
but to show some serious statement of intentmen that that
starts with sanctions.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Ninna has turned around basically middle fingered. This will we
get more sanctions.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
It's possible, and it's also possible the sanctions have been widened.
There's a lot of strength of feeling in manyly liberal democracies.
The United States is not a disinterested observer when it
comes to the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis,
and it's I think it's been a weakness and a
failure of US leadership. The situation has got to this point.
Shouldn't be forgotten that the US is exercise the veto

(02:00):
five times in un Securities Council to thwart a ceasefire
when the overwhelming majorities and we're talking about more than
one hundred and forty members the ow in General Assembly,
actually want a ceasefire. So this, in a sense, the
US has perpetuated this conflicts been It's provided about four

(02:21):
fifths the munitions that Israel has used in the conflict.
You know, the US is not a disinterested observer in this,
and in the sense I think the other liberal democracies
are beginning to push back now and say, look, international
law is important and we have to we have to
uphold it and talk alone. It's clearly not working.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
No, So yeah, are you in obviously Hamstrong? I mean
totally useless. And Trump's you know, Trump is criticizing US
for banning a couple of Israeli ministers who aren't going
to travel here anyway. So what hope do we have
that he's actually going to I mean, whokey is does
he listen to the international community?

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Yeah, but matters a war and peace shouldn't rest just
on the shoulders of mister Trump, and he doesn't get
it right on everything. And the fact of the matter
is you can't stand by while war crimes are being
committed on a daily basis with impunity. And I think
the majority of people in the world would like to

(03:19):
see a much more authoritative mechanism for dealing with conflicts
like this, and I think it's not going to happen.
You know, you mentioned that the UN Security Council is
pretty user. I agree it's useless because five members of
the UN Security Council use and abuse something called the
veto privilege, and that's got to stop. But you know,

(03:41):
Uzine's been against the veto since Peter Fraser back in
the forties. But what I'm saying here is that Ryan
sanctions may be a tentative start, and they may be belated.
I think they are very late, but you've got to
if you're serious about bringing about a two state solution,
and Nenijo has always ruled out a two state solution,
you actually have to start with some measure that shows

(04:03):
that you're not prepared to go on just accepting the
status quo, and so many people are suffering so horribly.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Appreciate your time this morning. Robert Petman, international relations professaid
for more.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
From earlier edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live to News Talks.
It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.