New Zealand has settled its differences with Israel through the appointment of Jim McLay, a special envoy to the Palestinian Authority.
This in turn relieves Jonathan Curr of his responsibility to the PA and allows him to satisfy Israel’s requirements that he acts as Ambassador for New Zealand to Israel and not the PA.
Mr McLay has been replaced at the United Nations where he represented New Zealand on the Security Council.
Foreign Minister Murray McCully said: “The government will continue to call on Mr McLay’s services and he has agreed to take up a role as a Special Advisor to me, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, on his return to New Zealand.”
His new role will see him resident in New Zealand but making frequent trips to Ramallah in his new post as special envoy to the PA. He takes up his new role in May.
Israel had objected to the same ambassador representing New Zealand to Jerusalem and Ramallah and had refused to accept Jonathan Curr’s credentials.
The headline is misleading since New Zealand has recently joined those states that have colluded in exempting the Arab “Palestinians” from fulfilling their obligations under solemnly signed agreements (Oslo Accords).
New Zealand’s blatant, arrogant, counterproductive diplomatic vandalism was compounded by its hypocritical claim that its violation was perpetrated in order to advance peace.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister himself proclaimed that his country is no longer pro-Israel.
Thus he has joined the camp of other enlightened states like Syria, Iraq, Iran etc