The blockade of the Palestinian population is disproportionate to the threat Israel faces, and it cannot provide the security that Israel seeks. Instead, it will simply provide more fertile ground in which extremist groups can seek to expand their destructive causes. We also urge Israel to release the tax payments due to the Palestinian Authority. The withholding of these funds, combined with the economic effects of the closure of Gaza and the West Bank, has caused a dire situation in the occupied territories. The loss of work and hope only increases the desperation of the Palestinian population.
All conflict has an economic and social dimension.
The destruction of the Palestinian economy serves no one but greatly increases human suffering. New Zealand calls on the leaders of both parties to find a way past the distrust and to work together to provide a viable future for both their peoples. Mr President New Zealanders have been shocked by the violence that has occurred in the Israeli Occupied Territories for more than three weeks now. The images we have seen have been a stain upon humanity. I wish to convey my government s deepest sympathies to the bereaved and injured on all sides.