By Thomas Manch on The Post (paywalled)…
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials recommended New Zealand recognise Palestine in early advice the Government ultimately ignored.
In September, at a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced the Government had decided not to recognise Palestine as a state, as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and more than 150 countries had.
It was a contentious decision and, at the time, Peters’ office released the crucial Cabinet paper which canvassed the two options the Government considered: maintaining the “status quo” of not recognising, or conditional recognition.
Notably, this Cabinet paper was written by Peters’ own staff, not officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat).
Early advice to Peters’ office from Mfat officials, pro-actively released on Thursday afternoon, reveals that six weeks before Peters announced New Zealand’s position, officials were advising full recognition of Palestine.
Read the full story on The Post (paywalled) HERE.
Or read Greg Bouwer’s report on the MFAT papers on J-Wire HERE.
