Ambassador: No peace without direct negotiations
The United Nations voted for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank. The United States voted against it, Australia abstained, and New Zealand voted for it.
Israel’s ambassador to New Zealand Ran Yaakoby
Israel’s ambassador to New Zealand, Ran Yaakoby, has penned:
This week, the UN General Assembly voted on a Palestinian Authority that attempts to escalate the conflict and bypass direct negotiations with Israel, as agreed upon in the Oslo Accords. The resolution seeks to undermine Israel’s basic right to protect its civilians and presents a biased view of reality by erasing the core issue of Palestinian terrorism. In this narrative, thousands of missiles have not been fired at Israelis by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) from areas Israel evacuated in Gaza. Thousands more have not been launched by Hezbollah from areas Israel withdrew from in Lebanon. Also absent are the repeated attacks from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and most notably, Iran, which backs these proxies and has repeatedly expressed its desire to see Israel annihilated.
Following the atrocities of the October 7 attacks, in which Hamas murdered over 1,100 Israeli civilians and took 250 hostages, the resolution fails to acknowledge Israel’s legitimate security concerns and its deep historical connection to the land. Its call to limit Israel’s security capabilities is a clear attempt to erode Israel’s ability to protect its citizens—Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and others alike.
The resolution’s call for Israel to withdraw unconditionally from areas from which it is currently being attacked. It similarly turns a blind eye to the reality of a vast network of terror tunnels and missile depots in Gaza. It makes no mention of the painstakingly negotiated agreements between Israel and the Palestinians and obscures the simple fact that, 19 years ago, Israel did precisely what the resolution asks for: a full withdrawal from Gaza. The result was not peace, but the disastrous takeover by fundamentalist Islamic terrorists supported by Iran, who turned the Gaza Strip into the stronghold of Hamas.
The Palestinian leadership’s continuous efforts are designed to bash Israel and gather international support to compel Israel to make concessions without offering anything in return. Their aim is to undermine Israel’s legitimacy through political manipulations. This policy perpetuates the conflict and reflects the decades-long brinkmanship strategy of the Palestinian Authority, which prefers a zero-sum game over pursuing compromise. Notably, the Palestinian Authority has not condemned the massacres and atrocities of October 7. On the contrary, they justify them, expressing support for the actions of Hamas and the PIJ.
While Israeli children are taught peace songs and the basic value of the word “Shalom” from kindergarten, the Palestinian education system—in Gaza as well as in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank)—teaches its children hatred and antisemitism, legitimizing violence against Jews and the obliteration of Israel.
Israel has repeatedly demonstrated its sincere desire to live in peace with its neighbours, Palestinians included and has never rejected serious proposals, as evidenced by peace agreements with Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.
Unfortunately, New Zealand, along with several other nations, voted in favour of this resolution, which contradicts the core principle upon which all previous peace accords between Israel and its neighbours were based: that the resolution of the conflict can only be achieved through dialogue and direct negotiations between the parties. The Palestinian Authority cannot avoid this reality by turning to international forums. Conceding to Palestinian demands without requiring them to move toward reconciliation with Israel, as former enemies in Europe did after World War II, will not bring peace but instead prepare the ground for the next war. Peace cannot be achieved through one-sided resolutions or international tribunals. Those genuinely committed to peace must reconsider supporting resolutions like these and advocate for direct bilateral negotiations without preconditions.
Voting for this resolution does not align with international law or the ICJ; it only serves to reward terrorism and deepen the divide between Israelis and Palestinians, thus moving us further away from peace.
Those who seek peace should oppose further such resolutions and instead call for the Palestinian Authority to distance itself clearly from Hamas, condemn the October 7 atrocities, and shift from its confrontational approach to a policy of reconciliation and direct negotiations.
