UNCLASSIFIED
New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Manatū Aorere
195 Lambton Quay
13 November 2024
Private Bag 18−901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
T +64 4 439 8000
F +64 4 472 9596
John Wilson
OIA 29780
[FYI request #28930 email]
Tēnā koe John Wilson
Thank you for your email of 26 October 2024 in which you request the following under
the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA):
“Please provide a list of communications the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
has had with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) since May 2024. The information
should include:
1.
Date of each communication
2.
Subject matter of each communication.
For ease of processing, the subject matter can be listed as to whether it pertains to
any of the following topics:
•
Attacks on journalists
•
Attacks on hospitals
•
Attacks on humanitarian organisations
•
Attacks on cultural heritage
•
Attacks on civilian infrastructure
•
Attacks on civilians
•
Veracity of Israeli claims
•
Other.”
Background
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has proactively released a large volume
of information relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict on the Ministry’s website here:
https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/middle-east/israel-hamas-conflict
Response to your request
Please see the following table for a list of communications in scope of your request.
UNCLASSIFIED
Page 2 of 2
Date
Subject matter
12 August 2024 –
Email correspondence between the Defense Attaché in the
2 September 2024
Embassy of Israel in Canberra, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade’s (MFAT) Export Control team and
New Zealand Defence Force. The correspondence relates to
an enquiry from the Defense Attaché on an export request
from a New Zealand company, the name of which is
withheld under section 9(2)(b)(ii) of the OIA: to avoid
prejudice to the commercial position of another party.
Further information on MFAT’s Export Control’s team can be
found on our website here:
https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/trade/export-controls.
2 May 2024
Senior MFAT officials engaged with their counterparts in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel and the Israel Defense
Forces (IDF) about their international law obligations.
Officials have raised specific concerns about the IDF’s
compliance with international humanitarian law and reports
of Israeli strikes on United Nations (UN) and humanitarian
facilities in Gaza.
Further details of this meeting are withheld under section
9(2)(h) of the OIA: to maintain legal professional privilege.
Where the information has been withheld under section 9 of the OIA, no public interest
in releasing the information has been identified that would override the reasons for
withholding it.
Please note that it is our policy to proactively release our responses to official
information requests where possible. Therefore, our response to your request (with your
personal information removed) may be published on the Ministry website:
www.mfat.govt.nz/en/about-us/contact-us/official-information-act-responses/
If you have any questions about this decision, you can contact us by email at:
[email address]. 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.
Nāku noa, nā
Sarah Corbett
for Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Document Outline
