New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry has said it is “deeply concerned” about a vote against the establishment of a Palestinian state by the Knesset (parliament) in Israel, Anadolu Agency reports.

“Only a political solution, where two states can live side by side in peace and security, will end the cycle of violence,” it wrote on X. “We must not lose sight of this objective.”

Former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the government “needs to do more to back international legal efforts to end the war in Gaza.”

“The recent International Court of Justice ruling is a damning indictment of Israel’s illegal occupation. NZ should speak out on this issue as we have in the past,” he wrote on the same social media platform.