National - FFS!

[Bjauck]

My thoughts.
Yes agreed the conflict is terribly complicated, but I don't understand how anyone could watch the images of the slaughter & suffering of so many innocent school children, women, the elderly, hospital patients, fathers, mothers, etc day after day & not say - this has to stop.

More than any other time in history, around the world millions of people are protesting this ongoing one sided slaughter, & calling for a ceasefire.

NZ has always been a champion of Human rights & International Law & our voice carries weight & influence well beyond our comparatively size.
This especially in recent years as Jacinda Ardern raised our profile on the global stage, & esp in the Middle East.
What other countries world leader ever had their image projected on the tallest tower in the world, Dubai's Burj Khalifa with the word Peace written in both English & Arabic.

Ireland, Spain, Belgium have joined others called for a ceasefire & many other countries are calling for a Humanitarian Pause with the pressure growing for a more affirmative response.
We should all be supporting calls for a stop to the killing which shows no sign of slowing, & calling for a ceasefire.

This is one of the best ways we can support Qatar & the UN's attempts to de-escalate this.
I think many if not most Kiwi's would feel remaining silent while watching the ongoing sheer scale of this horrific travesty of humanity & International Law, could not continue.
The way I see it NZ needed to make a stand & am glad at least Hipkins did, since National continue to dither & don't seem to stand for anything.

Haven’t the Irish government been long-time supporters of Palestinians and whosoever leads them? They equate themselves and the Palestinians as the victims of partition and colonialism from the UK/Israel. HAMAS are unconscionable terrorists though and with little regard for either Palestinians or Israelis.