New Zealand's Position on Recognising Palestine as a Sovereign State

Lance D. Lavery made this Official Information request to Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

The request was refused by Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

From: Lance D. Lavery

Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,

I am writing under the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 to request specific information concerning New Zealand's stance on the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state.

As per the arguments presented in the article "Recognise Palestine" by Justice for Palestine, it is suggested that Palestine satisfies the statehood criteria under international law. The article proposes that recognising Palestine as a sovereign state would harmonise New Zealand's position with many United Nations member states and align with New Zealand's foreign policy supporting a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Considering these assertions, I kindly request the following information:

1. Comprehensive elucidation of New Zealand's current position on the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state, including the reasons for this stance.

2. All documents, correspondence, or reports discussing New Zealand's position on recognising Palestine, especially given that many UN member states have already recognised Palestine.

3. Any analytical or briefing materials evaluating Palestine's qualification against the international law criteria for statehood - a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capability to establish diplomatic relations with other states.

4. Information on actions that New Zealand has undertaken or plans to undertake in response to the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

5. All correspondence or reports discussing the implications of recognising Palestine on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the advancement of a two-state solution.

6. Any correspondence or documents assessing the potential political and diplomatic implications for New Zealand in the event of recognising Palestine as a sovereign state.

This request is being made in the public interest to encourage informed debate on a critical foreign policy issue. Hence, I request you to waive any costs associated with the fulfilment of this request.

This request, along with your response, will be made publicly available via the fyi.org.nz website, and I would appreciate your response via the same platform. Should you require any additional clarity on this request, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the fyi.org.nz platform.

If my request is denied, in whole or in part, I ask for a justification of such a decision in reference to specific exemptions of the Official Information Act. I look forward to receiving the requested information within the statutory time frame of 20 working days.

Yours faithfully,

Lance D. Lavery

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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Tēnā koe, 

 

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Link: [7]File-List
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet


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[IN-CONFIDENCE]

 

Kia ora,

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA)
received on 12 May 2023, copied below. We will respond to your request
within the statutory timeframes set out in the Act. If we are unable to
meet these timeframes we will notify you.

 

Your request will be managed by the Ministerial Services team within DPMC.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at
[1][DPMC request email].

 

DPMC may publish the response to your OIA request. If we publish the
response your personal information, including your name and contact
details, will be removed.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E    [2][DPMC request email]
 
 
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet


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Attachment Lavery response.pdf
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[UNCLASSIFIED]

 

Kia ora,

 

Please see the attached letter regarding your recent OIA request.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E    [1][DPMC request email]
 
 
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

Link: [2]File-List
Link: [3]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [4]themeData
Link: [5]colorSchemeMapping

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The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

References

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From: ESD


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[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tçnâ koe Lance Lavery,

 

I am writing concerning your Official Information Act request below, to
advise that responding to your request as currently framed would require
review of a significant amount of information and capture a significant
volume of information. As such, it is likely that your request will be
refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as it would require substantial
collation and research.

 

“I am writing under the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 to
request specific information concerning New Zealand's stance on the
recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state.

 

As per the arguments presented in the article "Recognise Palestine" by
Justice for Palestine, it is suggested that Palestine satisfies the
statehood criteria under international law. The article proposes that
recognising Palestine as a sovereign state would harmonise New Zealand's
position with many United Nations member states and align with New
Zealand's foreign policy supporting a two-state solution in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 

Considering these assertions, I kindly request the following information:

1.      Comprehensive elucidation of New Zealand's current position on the
recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state, including the reasons for
this stance.

2.      All documents, correspondence, or reports discussing New Zealand's
position on recognising Palestine, especially given that many UN member
states have already recognised Palestine.

3.      Any analytical or briefing materials evaluating Palestine's
qualification against the international law criteria for statehood - a
permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the
capability to establish diplomatic relations with other states.

4.      Information on actions that New Zealand has undertaken or plans to
undertake in response to the human rights situation in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.

5.      All correspondence or reports discussing the implications of
recognising Palestine on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the
advancement of a two-state solution.

6.      Any correspondence or documents assessing the potential political
and diplomatic implications for New Zealand in the event of recognising
Palestine as a sovereign state.”

 

Accordingly, I am seeking your agreement to refine your request to be for:

               

Considering these assertions, I kindly request the following information:

1.      Comprehensive elucidation of New Zealand's current position on the
recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state, including the reasons for
this stance.

2.      All submissions and briefings from 1 January 2021 discussing New
Zealand's position on recognising Palestine, especially given that many UN
member states have already recognised Palestine.

3.      Any analytical or briefing materials from 1 January 2021
evaluating Palestine's qualification against the international law
criteria for statehood - a permanent population, a defined territory, a
government, and the capability to establish diplomatic relations with
other states.

4.      Information on actions that New Zealand has undertaken or plans to
undertake in response to the human rights situation in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.

5.      All submissions and briefings from 1 January 2021 discussing the
implications of recognising Palestine on the Israeli-Palestinian peace
process and the advancement of a two-state solution.

6.      All submissions and briefings from 1 January 2021 assessing the
potential political and diplomatic implications for New Zealand in the
event of recognising Palestine as a sovereign state.”

 

Please note, it is likely that we will need to withhold information from
documents in scope of your request.

 

Please confirm if you are happy to proceed with the refined request above,
by 7 June 2023. If we do not hear from you, we will proceed with your
original request.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatû Aorere

-------------------------------------------------

195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901, Wellington 5045, New Zealand

[1]www.mfat.govt.nz | [2]www.safetravel.govt.nz

[3]cid:image001.png@01D762BA.46DA26E0

 

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From: ESD


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Attachment OIA 28668 Lance Lavery Response.pdf
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[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tēnā koe Lance Lavery,

 

Please see the attached letter concerning your OIA request.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

-------------------------------------------------

195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901, Wellington 5045, New Zealand

[1]www.mfat.govt.nz | [2]www.safetravel.govt.nz

[3]cid:image001.png@01D762BA.46DA26E0

 

 

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