Bangkok.- New Zealand on Thursday designated Palestine’s Islamist group Hamas as a terrorist entity and announced travel bans on «extremist Israeli settlers.«
The two separate announcements come amid Israel’s crushing offensive in the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Wellington announced the designation of Hamas as a terrorist entity in its entirety, following the same designation of its military wing in 2010.
«What happened on 7 October reinforces we can no longer distinguish between the military and political wings of Hamas. The organization as a whole bears responsibility for these horrific terrorist attacks,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
The designation freezes any assets of Hamas in New Zealand and makes it a criminal offense to carry out property or financial transactions with them or provide material support.
“New Zealand wants to be clear that the designation of Hamas is about the actions of an offshore terrorist entity and is not a reflection on the Palestinian people in Gaza and around the world,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.
The leader also clarified that the measure “does not stop New Zealand providing humanitarian and future development assistance to benefit civilians in Gaza, nor does it stop us providing consular support to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents in the conflict zone.”
Peters expressed Wellington’s ‘grave concern’ for the impact of the conflict on civilians and called for «for an end to the violence and an urgent resumption of the Middle East Peace Process.”
«A lasting solution to the conflict will only be achieved by peaceful means,» he added.
The pair also announced that “a number of extremist Israeli settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank” would be banned from entering New Zealand.
“New Zealand is seriously concerned by the significant increase in extremist violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinian populations in recent months. This is particularly destabilizing in what is already a major crisis,” Luxon said.
Peters reiterated a need for a two-state solution to the crisis.
“New Zealand’s consistent position has been that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a violation of international law,” he said.
“The international community is overwhelmingly in favor of a future Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution. New Zealand shares this view, and will continue to advocate for an end to the current conflict and an urgent restart of the Middle East Peace Process.”
