In a statement on Wednesday, Labour's Foreign Affairs spokesperson, David Parker, urged the government to back Gaza genocide case at International Court. Parker said Israel denied the claims of genocide but the ICJ was the appropriate body to investigate whether international laws had been breached.
"Last month an overwhelming majority of countries, including New Zealand, voted at the United Nations for an immediate ceasefire, but Israel has shown no intention of letting up. Some Ministers in the Israeli government are continuing to call for Palestinians to be ejected from their own land," Parker said.
"New Zealand under the former Labour government 'intervened' in the recent genocide case between Russia and Ukraine at the International Court of Justice and made legal submissions to support the Court in its deliberations. New Zealand should do the same now for Gaza."
The genocide claim could take two years or more to conclude.
Parker said the government should also support South Africa's call for other interim measures, to immediately cease hostilities, which the ICJ is expected to begin considering this week.
"If the International Court of Justice decides in favour of the interim measures, their finding would then be considered by the UN Security Council. If Israel ignored a Security Council directive to cease hostilities, it would open itself up to UN sanctions."
He said the interim measures were the world's best and most immediate change to stop the killing in Gaza, and if the ICJ finding was in favour of them the matter would go to the UN Security Council.
"If Israel ignored a Security Council directive to cease hostilities, it would open itself up to UN sanctions," he said.
The New Zealand government late last year backed the calls for an immediate ceasefire at the UN, just days after Parliament agreed to a weaker call for "steps towards" a ceasefire.
That was despite opposition parties including Labour calling for a stronger statement.
The government has been approached for comment.
