NZ Government must follow through to secure a ceasefire

Palestinian children look on as people stand on the rubble of a building destroyed during Israeli strikes on Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip

Photo by Mohammed ABED / AFP

NZ Government must follow through to secure a ceasefire

MEDIA STATEMENT

7 December 2023

The following quote can be attributed to Lisa Woods, Campaigns Director at Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand. This statement is in response to the news that the New Zealand Government has passed a motion indicating the government’s support for a ceasefire in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

“New Zealanders have been calling on the government to show leadership on this dire human rights situation for weeks now. Over 10,000 people across Aotearoa have signed Amnesty International’s ceasefire petition, and countless more have gathered at protests, fundraisers, and solidarity events. We want to see the Government doing all that it can to actually secure a sustained ceasefire and address the devastating human rights violations that have occurred.”

Background

Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand launched a petition calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza on 27 October. Last month, the organisation wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, together with ActionStation and Save the Children, calling on him to support a sustained ceasefire when the brief humanitarian truce was announced.