Dear Correspondent  

 

Thank you for contacting Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister,
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Racing.  

 

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The Office of Rt Hon Winston Peters

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References

Visible links
1. https://www.dia.govt.nz/Proactive-Releas...

Dear Andrew Riddell,

 

I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act (OIA) request dated
18 April 2024, in which you requested the following:

 

              " I therefore request copies of all briefings, emails,
records of meetings and all other communications since you became the
current Minister of Foreign Affairs on the following matters:

 

(a) The statement "barbaric violations of women and children" used when
referring to the 7 October attack and since - given the number of
'barbaric violations' reported on October 7 which have since been shown to
be false, what is the nature of these barbaric allegations you speak of,
according to the briefings, advice and other communications you have
received.

 

(b) The investigations into serious allegations against certain UNRWA
staff - what are the specific investigations you are looking forward to
the outcome of? What briefings or reports have you received about the
Israel's evidence supporting these serious allegations against certain
UNRWA staff.

 

(c) Given you say that building and expanding illegal settlements in the
occupied territories and the forcible displacement of Palestinians from
Gaza imperil the two-state               solution, what advice or
assessments have you received on the continued viability of a 2 state
solution?

 

(d) You say all must demand that Hamas release all remaining hostages
immediately. What advice have you received about the legal status of
Israeli military personnel held by Hamas - are these people hostages or
prisoners of war?

 

              What advice and information have you received about the
thousands of Palestinians held without charge by Israel, and their status
under international law?

 

(e) The press release of 14 April asserts that Iran conducted illegal
strikes against Israel. Iran is citing its right to self-defence for these
strikes, following the attack by Israel on its consulate at Damascus. What
advice have you received on this 'self-defence' justification, and the
legality of it.

 

(f) Your speech to the United Nations acknowledges that Palestinian
civilians bear the brunt of Israel's military action. Have you asked for
or received any advice or briefings on the impacts of Israeli military
action on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and its legality in terms of
international humanitarian law? I note that the government has imposed
sanctions on some Israeli illegal settlers on the West Bank. Have you
asked for and/or received any advice on imposing sanctions against members
of the Israeli cabinet and military for their actions in Gaza?

 

              Finally, just to confirm that where you have received advice
and/or briefings and such like on any of the matters asked about above I
am requesting copies of those communications."

 

We received your request on 18 April 2024. We will endeavour to respond to
your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 17 May
2024, being 20 working days after the day your request was received. If we
are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an
extension of that timeframe.

 

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact our office. If any
additional factors come to light which are relevant to your request,
please do not hesitate to contact us so that these can be taken into
account.

 

Kind Regards

Private Secretary

 

Office of Rt Hon Winston Peters
Deputy Prime Minister

Minister of Foreign Affairs |

Minister for Racing |

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

 

 

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