By Greg Bouwer on J-Wire…
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has entered the Middle East debate by condemning Israel’s proposed E1 development between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, calling it “illegal” and claiming it would “make a two-state solution impossible.”
Twenty-seven countries — including Australia — co-signed a joint statement criticising the plan. New Zealand was not among the signatories, but Luxon told media he “fully agreed with the statement” and reaffirmed his government’s long-held view that “those settlements are illegal.”
He further announced that New Zealand will decide within a month whether to formally recognise a Palestinian state.
A selective interpretation of law
Luxon’s remarks repeat a familiar line: that Israeli housing projects in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) are “illegal under international law.” This assertion is contested.
The territories in question were never under Palestinian sovereignty, having been occupied by Jordan from 1948–67 without international recognition.
Read Greg Bouwer’s full article on J-Wire HERE.
