Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he fully agreed with the statement. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is condemning Israel's E1 settlement plan, despite New Zealand not signing a joint statement on the matter.
Twenty-seven countries, including the UK and Australia, have condemned Israel's plans to build an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, east of Jerusalem.
The countries have said the plan would "make a two-state solution impossible by dividing any Palestinian state and restricting Palestinian access to Jerusalem".
Luxon said he fully agreed with the statement.
"That is something I would address to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but there are a lot of joint statements that we try and align with, often at short notice, to make sure we are putting volume and voice to our position," he said.
"Irrespective of that, we are very, very concerned about what is happening in the West Bank, particularly the E1 settlement programme.
"We have believed for a long time that those settlements are illegal."
New Zealand will make a decision on whether to recognise Palestine as a state over the next month.
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