17 May 2024
Andrew Riddell
[FYI request #26477 email]
Dear Andrew Riddell,
Thank you for your email of 18 April 2024 in which you request the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (OIA):
‘copies of all briefings, emails, records of meetings and all other communications since you
became the current Minister of Foreign Affairs on the following matters:
(a)
The statement "barbaric violations of women and children" used when referring to
the 7 October attack and since - given the number of 'barbaric violations' reported
on October 7 which have since been shown to be false, what is the nature of these
barbaric allegations you speak of, according to the briefings, advice and other
communications you have received.
(b)
The investigations into serious allegations against certain UNRWA staff - what are
the specific investigations you are looking forward to the outcome of? What briefings
or reports have you received about the Israel's evidence supporting these serious
allegations against certain UNRWA staff.
(c)
Given you say that building and expanding il egal settlements in the occupied
territories and the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza imperil the two-
state solution, what advice or assessments have you received on the continued
viability of a 2 state solution?
(d)
You say all must demand that Hamas release all remaining hostages immediately.
What advice have you received about the legal status of Israeli military personnel
held by Hamas - are these people hostages or prisoners of war?
What advice and information have you received about the thousands of Palestinians
held without charge by Israel, and their status under international law?
(e)
The press release of 14 April asserts that Iran conducted il egal strikes against
Israel. Iran is citing its right to self-defence for these strikes, following the attack by
Israel on its consulate at Damascus. What advice have you received on this 'self-
defence' justification, and the legality of it.
(f)
Your speech to the United Nations acknowledges that Palestinian civilians bear the
brunt of Israel's military action. Have you asked for or received any advice or
briefings on the impacts of Israeli military action on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and
its legality in terms of international humanitarian law? I note that the government
has imposed sanctions on some Israeli il egal settlers on the West Bank. Have you
asked for and/or received any advice on imposing sanctions against members of
the Israeli cabinet and military for their actions in Gaza’
2
This letter is to advise that we wil need to extend the time limit for responding to you by 25
working days, to 24 June 2024. This is because responding to your request necessitates
review of a large quantity of information, and meeting the original time limit would
unreasonably interfere with the operations of this office (section 15A(1)(a) of the OIA refers).
However, if this process is completed before 24 June 2024, the response wil be sent to you
as soon as possible.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision
by contacting www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602
Yours sincerely,
Jamie Allen
Private Secretary (Advisory/Media)
