Summarised by Centrist
University of Waikato Law professor Alexander Gillespie in “Israel-Gaza crisis: NZ must condemn atrocities but keep pushing for a two-state solution” argues for NZ to maintain the middle ground in its foreign policy position regarding the conflict.
New Zealand cannot “stay silent when extreme, indiscriminate violence is committed”, but “(w)ith no global consensus, New Zealand can do little more than assert and defend the established rules-based international order,” writes Gillespie.
This means international humanitarian law and the rules of war are applied equally to all sides and war crimes are to be investigated “with accountability and consequences applied through the relevant international bodies”.
According to Gillespie, NZ’s best long-term strategy is joining with like-minded nations in pushing for a two-state solution, “requiring security guarantees for Israel, negotiated land swaps and careful management of Jerusalem’s holy sites”.
