What Labour would do on Palestine and Israel
Labour would recognise Palestine as a state and put economic sanctions on Israel, foreign affairs spokesperson Vanushi Walters said at a panel at Parliament with leader Chris Hipkins.
Walters called Labour's plan "independent, principled and unafraid" RNZ. The panel was at Parliament on Wednesday. She spoke alongside Hipkins.
She was replying to Foreign Minister Winston Peters. He says New Zealand should often talk to other countries in private, not call them out in public, especially the United States. Walters said there is a time for quiet talks "and there is a time when quiet diplomacy must bend to moral clarity".
Peters gave his view in a speech called 'There's always a way to talk' on 21 September 2026 Beehive. He said private talks help more in the long run than a loud public response NZ Herald. In a separate interview, he said New Zealand's nuclear-free policy did bring costs.
Walters said other countries had noticed New Zealand staying quiet when the UN Charter, the basic rules for countries, was broken. She said New Zealand had lost its name as a fair go-between and steady backer of international law. She gave no more detail on sanctions beyond calling them economic sanctions on Israel, and no more detail on recognition beyond recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Hipkins spoke about the United States and China. He said New Zealand should not have to choose between partners like that.
The broader context here is about how New Zealand acts, not just what it does. The difference was on purpose. Hipkins left room on the US and China while Walters took a firmer line on the Middle East and international law. It is like choosing between a quiet word behind closed doors and speaking up in public.
Looking at what this would mean in government, each promise needs practical work. Recognition means formal wording and timing. Sanctions mean laws about what is covered and how they are enforced. Quiet talks need notes of what was said in private. Labour has set tests it would be judged on, and Peters has set a different test about keeping relationships intact.
