‘Serious questions to answer’: Labour slams Luxon over Israel’s Pacific Islands Forum move

WELLINGTON, 22 OCTOBER 2026 (RNZ PACIFIC)—New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has “serious questions to answer” over Israel becoming a partner of the region’s main political decision-making institution, Labour’s foreign affairs spokesperson says. Israel has joined the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as a development partner, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced in a statement on Wednesday. A number of Pacific governments have been forging closer ties with Israel’s government at the same time that its standing in the international community has dropped to a new low. The Israeli government has been widely accused of violating international law with its devastating military attack on Gaza and attacks on four other Middle Eastern countries over the past two years.

Luxon stated earlier this month that his Israel counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he came to New Zealand, after the International Criminal Court’s recent decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others in his cabinet. He said Israel’s entry to the PIF ecosystem was ultimately a decision for the Forum, but noted its partnership status would be “lower tier”. The New Zealand leader attended the meeting in Palau last month when PIF leaders decided to recognise Israel as a new partner. ACT leader David Seymour extended “a warm Pacific welcome” to Israel after it was accepted as a partner state. “Another democratic country in the Pacific Islands Forum is a good thing – possibly a bit geographically challenged. But then we’ve had Britain try and join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, so it seems geography is no barrier these days. ” However, Labour’s foreign affairs spokesperson Vanushi Walters said if her party were in government, it would have opposed Israel’s inclusion in the PIF.…