Twyford PhilHon PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū): I move after the words action to revive the Middle East peace process is critical;" the addition of the following words: "and that process must seek a just and lasting peace that recognises the existence and self-determination of Israelis and Palestinians. We call for the establishment of a free and independent Palestinian state as part of a two-State solution with both nations having secure and recognized borders where all citizens enjoy equal rights and freedoms."I want to talk about the day after the ceasefire that I hope will come soon. What then? There's no viable status quo to go back to. Palestinians weren't safe before. Israelis weren't safe either. The place was a powder keg. There is no military solution to this problem not when you have four generations of Palestinians living in refugee camps. Bombing people into oblivion will simply breed extremism. The endless cycle of violence cannot be allowed to go on. A new peace process must address the underlying cause of this conflict and that is the denial of the Palestinian right to self-determination.Yes there are people on both sides of this conflict who do not accept the right of the other to exist—that is the sad truth—but they must not be allowed to prevail. The only way—the only pathway for peace—is for Israel and the Palestinians in the context of an internationally supported peace process to agree the establishment of a free and independent Palestinian State. Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace with internationally recognised and secure borders.So many people have invested their hopes in a two-State solution but too few have spoken out against Israel's illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Those settlements have in a very real sense undermined the credibility and the viability of a two-State solution. New Zealand has a track record of principled diplomacy in this area. In 2016 under then Minister of Foreign Affairs the Hon Murray McCully New Zealand sponsored a United Nations Security Council resolution which reaffirmed that Israel's settlements in Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 constitute a flagrant violation of international law and I quote "a major obstacle to the vision of two States living side-by-side in peace and security within internationally recognized borders." We can use our voice and it does make a difference.In line with that UN Security Council resolution that New Zealand sponsored New Zealand should now condemn the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory demand that Israel immediately cease settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territory and abide by its legal obligations as an occupying power—in particular to bring its occupation of all Palestine territories including in Gaza to an end as soon as possible.I take heart that New Zealand's foreign Minister said "The desperate need of the Palestinians for peace and statehood is undeniable. We hope that a way will be found to take forward the peace process with the representatives of the Palestinian people." That was the Rt Hon Winston Peters in 2006.I'm confident that even on this most polarised of issues the great majority of New Zealanders see this for what it is a longstanding injustice that must be settled if peace is to prevail. I call on the Government to resist the nervous and over-cautious advice of its foreign affairs officials who as always will be worried about being out of step with Canberra and Washington and do the right thing. Use New Zealand's voice to speak up on the side of peace and justice to make the case now internationally that the establishment of a free and independent Palestinian State in the context of a two-State solution is a prerequisite to lasting peace in the Middle East. It's the right thing to do."