More than 100 protestors gathered outside Parliament today as violence escalates in Gaza, while inside Parliament, a Green Party motion to recognise "the State of Palestine without debate" was denied inside the House.
The protestors, from the groups Wellington Palestine and Alternative Jewish Voices, were calling on the Government for the recognition of statehood and to condemn Israel's military action in Gaza.
One of the organisers, Nadia Abu-Shanab, told 1 NEWS there had been "political silence around the issue", asking the Government to "have some political courage".
Some Labour MPs — as well as both Māori Party leaders, Greens co-leader Marama Davidson and several other Greens MPs — met the demonstrators.
During Parliament's sitting, Green MP Golriz Ghahraman attempted to put forward the proposal to recognise Palestinian statehood.
As there was objection, the matter was not taken up.
"Violence against civilians, whether committed by Hamas or the Israeli Defence Force must be condemned in the strongest terms, but the massively disproportionate death toll... speaks to the context of a powerful military force indiscriminately attacking a trapped community," Ghahraman said.
"It would allow that strong and resilient community to move forward to a future where Palestinian children can look forward to building their lives free from violence, with hopes and dreams that they so richly deserve."
She said that statehood with a two-state solution is a Green Party policy.
The New Zealand Jewish Council accused the Green Party of "inflammatory comments and inaccurate statements".
It said rockets from Hamas militants had killed Israeli civilians and caused damage and trauma.
Fighting in Gaza has been at the highest level since 2014 , starting this time on May 10. The Associated Press has reported at least 213 Palestinians have been killed, including 61 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. That figure includes both fighters and civilians. There has been 12 killed, including a child, in Israel, the Associated Press has also reported.
National announced prior to the motion that it was intending to oppose it, with foreign affairs spokesperson Gerry Brownlee saying his party's position "has consistently been in favour of the two-state system".
"Despite the failure of talks over many years to achieve this, we are firmly of the view that it is the best solution to the extraordinary violence that has for a long time and currently is afflicting both Israelis and Arabs on the two sides of the argument.
"It is our position that the two sides need to desist from the current violent engagement and get back to the table on talks that could lead to this two-state solution that with commitment from both could bring peace to both states."
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Breakfast that New Zealand's position is "very clear".
"I despair at what’s happening right now," she said.
"If we are going to get towards a two-state solution, which so many of the international community support, so long as you have the threat of evictions of Palestinian families, and so long we have in response from Hamas indiscriminate rocket fire, and then so long as you have Israel responding to that with a response that goes beyond self-defence when you start seeing the death of women and children, then we move further and further away from that two-state solution," she said.
"We want peace in the Middle East, but we feel like we’re moving further and further away."
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