The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is praising Te Pāti Māori and its leaders for their unwavering support of Palestine during the Gaza conflict.
Last week, a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, featuring a three-stage plan: a six-week ceasefire, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the exchange of hostages held by both sides.
National chair John Minto commended Te Pāti Māori for taking a firm stance against Israel’s actions, including co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer’s call for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand during the conflict.
“So I think, you know, the Te Pātī Māori leaders have stood up where others have been faint hearted. So I would say, Yep, very good. In fact, in our protests around the country, we have had Māori speakers. We’ve had people standing up. It’s such an overwhelming human rights crisis that we need every voice we can to be out there on the part of Palestinians,” says Minto.
John Minto is cautiously optimistic about the ceasefire, and says although not guaranteed, the six-week truce offers those in Gaza a glimmer of hope that the war may soon end.
