Kerre Woodham: What will come from our decision not to recognise Palestine?

The state of Palestine is recognised as a sovereign nation by 157 UN member states, and that represents 81% of members. New Zealand is not one of them. Not yet. Like Singapore, like Japan, Germany, South Korea, most Pacific states. New Zealand says, oh, sure, we support recognition, just not yet.

Winston Peters, in his speech to the UN over the weekend, said Palestine did not meet the traditional benchmarks for state recognition. But as the Herald's Audrey Young points out in her column, Palestine is a unique and complex situation, not a post-colonial independence state where it's easier to apply the markers of statehood.

I don't even know where to begin on this because so much damage has been done by so many people over so many years. Starting with the British who kicked off the whole mess more than 100 years ago with the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, 77 years after the creation of Israel and the British mandate of Palestine.

And you've got to look to the various governments led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who have propped up Hamas, to try and prevent President Mahmoud Abbas or anyone else in the Palestinian Authority's West Bank government from achieving its goal of a Palestinian state.

As the Israeli Times put it, thanks to Netanyahu, in the bid to hobble Abbas, Hamas was upgraded from a mere terror group to a legitimate organisation with which Israel held indirect negotiations, and one that was allowed to receive infusions of cash from abroad. 

Winston Peters in his speech said recognising Palestine just gave Hamas more metaphorical ammunition in the propaganda war without actually improving the lot of the poor benighted souls who live there.

With a war raging, Hamas still in place, and no clarity on next steps, we do not think that time is now. Recognising Palestine now will likely prove counterproductive. That is, Hamas resisting negotiation in the belief that it is winning the global propaganda war.

Well, it kind of is, when you've got 81% of the UN recognising Palestine as a state, when you have image after image of those children starving in the arms of their mothers. It kind of is. And although we might think no one cares about what we do as a nation, Israel will use this. It needs to take what it can get in terms of international support.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians across Gaza. On the 7th of October 2023, of course, Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people, taking 251 hostages, and there are 47 Israeli hostages still held in the most appalling, you can't even imagine what kind of conditions they're being held in captivity.

Hamas justified the attack knowing full well what would happen, knowing exactly what was going to happen. They justified the attack because of what it sees as decades of Israeli oppression, the killing of Palestinians, and the years-long blockade of the Gaza Strip. Of course, you've also got Egypt who's complicit in that. They also said their attack on Israelis had put the plight of the Palestinians on the world's political agenda. 

It was necessary, they said, to raise an alarm in the world, to tell them that here, there is a people who have a cause and have demands that must be met. So they launched an all-out attack on Israelis at a music festival to raise the alarm to the world. They felt that the ends justified the means. That by killing these people, knowing full well the wrath and the fire and the brimstone that would come down upon the Palestinian state, to raise alarm and attention. 

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour says he's proud of the fact that New Zealand hasn't the hasn't followed the mob. I mean, why say anything?

It seems extraordinary that the best chance of attaining peace in that desperate strip of land that has the same population of New Zealand living in a total land area of 6,000 square kilometres, we are 268,000 square kilometres, to give you some kind of context - 5 million of them jammed into 6,000 square kilometres, we've got 268,000 square kilometres - but it seems extraordinary that the best chance of attaining peace now rests on the shoulders of Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has proposed a 21-point Gaza peace plan that calls for all hostages held by Hamas to be released within 48 hours of an agreement and sets out a road map for Gaza once the war ends, looking at a two-state solution.

US President Donald Trump has voiced optimism about resolving the conflict, saying on Friday they are very close to the deal, speaking out at the Ryder Cup as well, saying that he hoped for a solution and you can only hope and pray that in this, Donald Trump is right. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerrywood and Mornings podcast from News
Talks head Be.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
The State of Palestine is recognized as a sovereign nation
by one hundred and fifty seven UN member states, and
that represents eighty one percent of members. New Zealand is
not one of them, not yet, Like Singapore, like Japan, Germany,
South Korea, most Pacific states. New Zealand says, oh, sure,

(00:35):
we support recognition, just not yet. Winston Peters, in his
speech to the UN over the weekend, said Palestine did
not meet the traditional benchmarks for state recognition. But as
The Herald's Audrey Young points out in her column, Palestine
is a unique and complex situation, not a post colonial

(00:57):
independent state where it's easier to apply the markers of statehood.
I don't even know where to begin on this, because
so much damage has been done by so many people
over so many years, starting with the British, who kicked
off the whole mess more than one hundred years ago,
with the establishment in Palestine of a national home for

(01:19):
the Jewish people, just bung them there seventy seven years
after the creation of Israel and the British Mandate of
Palestine and You've got to look to the various governments
led by Benjamin Netnyahu who have propped up Hummas to

(01:42):
try and prevent President Mahmoud Abbas or anyone else in
the Palestinian Authorities West Bank government from achieving its goal
of a Palestinian state. As the Israeli Times put it,
thanks to Netanyahu and the bid to hobble Abbas, Hummas

(02:02):
was upgraded from a mere terror group to a legitimate
organization with which is Rael held in direct negotiations and
one that was allowed to receive infusions of cash from abroad.
Winston Peters, in his speech said recognizing Palestine just gave

(02:24):
Hummus more metaphorical ammunition in the propaganda war, without actually
improving the lot of the poor, benighted souls who lived there.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
With a war raging, Hammas still in place and no
clarity on next steps, we did not think that time
is now. Recognizing Palestine now will likely prove counterproductive. That
is Hammas resisting negotiation in the belief that it is

(02:55):
winning the global propaganda war.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
Well, it kind of is. When you've got eighty one
percent of the UN recognizing Palestine as a state, when
you have image after image of those children starving in
the arms of their mothers. Kind of is and although
we might think no one cares about what we do
as a nation, Israel will use this. It needs to

(03:22):
take what it can get in terms of international support.
Since October seven, twenty twenty three, Israel has killed more
than sixty six thousand Palestinians across Gaza. On the seventh
of October twenty twenty three, of course, Hummas attacked Israel,

(03:42):
killing about one two hundred people, taking two hundred and
fifty one hostages, and there are forty seven Israeli hostages
still held in the most appalling You can't even imagine
what kind of conditions they're being held in in captivity.
Hummas justified the attacked, knowing full well what would happen,

(04:04):
knowing eggs exactly what was going to happen. They justified
the attack because of what it says are decades of
Israeli oppression, the killing of Palestinians, and the year's long
blockade of the Gaza Strip. Of course, you've also got
Egypt who's complicit in that. They also said their attack

(04:29):
on Israelis had put the plight of the Palestinians on
the world's political agenda. It was necessary, they said, to
raise an alarm in the world, to tell them that
here there is a people who have a cause and
have demands that must be met. So they launched an

(04:50):
all out attack on Israelis at a music festival to
raise the alarm to the world. They felt that the
ends justified the means that by killing these people, knowing
full well the wroth and the fire and the brimstone
that would come down upon the Palestinian state to raise

(05:13):
alarm and attention. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour says he's
proud of the fact that New Zealand hasn't hasn't followed
the mob. I mean, why say anything. It seems extraordinary
that the best chance of attaining peace in that desperate

(05:36):
strip of land has the same population of New Zealand
living in a total land area of six thousand square kilometers.
We are two hundred and sixty eight thousand square kilometers,
to give you some kind of context, five million of
them jammed into six thousand square kilometers. We've got two
hundred and sixty eight thousand square kilometers. But it seems
extraordinary that the best chance of attaining Piece now rests

(05:59):
on the shoulders of Donald Trump. The Trump administration has
proposed a twenty one point Gaza Piece plan that calls
for all hostages held by h must to be released
within forty eight hours of an agreement and sets out
a roadmap for Gaza once the war ends. Looking at
a two state solution, US President Donald Trump has voiced

(06:22):
optimism about resolving the conflict, saying on Friday, they are
very close to the deal. Speaking out at the Ryder
Cup as well, saying that he hoped for a solution
and you can only hope and pray that in this
Donald Trump is right.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
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