Will’s Word: Symbols matter with Palestinian statehood and NZ missed its chance

So the Coalition Government has decided not to recognise Palestinian statehood yet.

In his speech to the United Nations, Foreign Affairs Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters stated that it was “a matter of when, not if”, but then went on to say that New Zealand isn't ready to make that gesture.

As I sat and watched that speech, I couldn't stop thinking about the thousands of families in Gaza suffering with a lack of shelter, a lack of food, a lack of clean water, and frankly, no time to wait.

I get the argument that some say recognition is only symbolic, but symbols do matter, and this gesture was the bare minimum our government could have done. Instead, it shows hesitation.

Undoubtedly, the fallout here in Aotearoa will be loud. Tens of thousands of Kiwis have already marched in our streets, demanding the Coalition do more while Gaza burns. The United Nations has called it a genocide, and yet our leaders continue to sit on the fence.

The opposition, well, they’ve jumped. Labour says the Government is “an embarrassment”. The Greens are calling it “cowardly”. Te Pāti Māori labelled it “colonial double standards”.

Listen to Will’s Word on Facebook below.

Even experts have spoken out, saying they were shocked by such a decision. This isn't just a bad political call, though. Perhaps it's bold of me to suggest this, but it is a moral failure. It does nothing for the people of Gaza.

Yes, I've heard the arguments: Israel's right to defend itself, centuries of religious conflict, the endless debates about legitimacy, borders, and Hamas.

But strip all of that away, and this is the conclusion that I come to time and time again. Perhaps it's naive, but we're all human. No one deserves this kind of suffering.

This government had a chance to stand on the right side of history, and instead, it blinked.

That's Will's Word.