Chloe Swarbrick, a Member of Parliament in New Zealand and co-leader of the Green Party, was ordered to leave the chamber during a heated debate on the government’s stance toward the Palestinians.
The parliamentary debate was called after the center-right government announced it was weighing whether to recognize a Palestinian state.
Australia, a close ally, recently joined France, Canada, and the United Kingdom by announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Swarbrick criticized New Zealand for being “late” and unacceptable in delaying a decision, urging government members to back a bill to sanction Israel for war crimes. This bill was proposed by her party in March and supported by all opposition parties.
“If we find six of the government’s 68 MPs with backbone, we could be on the right side of history,” Swarbrick stated.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee called her remarks “completely unacceptable” and demanded an apology. Swarbrick refused and was subsequently ordered to leave the Parliament chamber.
Brownlee later clarified that Swarbrick may return for Wednesday’s plenary session, but if she again refuses to apologize, she risks expulsion from Parliament.
New Zealand is expected to decide in September on the recognition of a Palestinian state. Foreign Minister Winston Peters told Parliament that the government will gather information and consult partners before making a careful decision.
Opposition parties, including the Greens, Labour, and Te Pāti Māori, support recognizing Palestine.
Labour MP Peeni Henare said New Zealand has a strong history of standing for its principles and values and is currently “falling behind” on this issue.
