MP booted from parliament over explosive speech

New Zealand Greens co‑leader Chloe Swarbrick was thrown out of parliament after a fiery speech in which she called the government "spineless" for refusing to sanction Israel. Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that Australia would recognise a Palestinian state, while his Kiwi counterpart, Christopher Luxon, has been more hesitant. On Tuesday Luxon, who had recently hosted a visit from the Australian prime minister, said New Zealand would decide whether to recognise Palestine as a state next month. That afternoon, in an urgent debate, Swarbrick urged government MPs to support her private member’s bill allowing New Zealand to apply sanctions on Israel. "My question for this place is what the hell is the point of our jobs?" she said. "I will reiterate my call for the government to pick up our unlawful occupation of Palestine sanctions bill and to sanction Israel for its war crimes. If we find six of 68 government MPs with a spine we can stand on the right side of history," she added. Speaker Gerry Brownlee took exception to that comment, telling Swarbrick it was "completely unacceptable to make that statement – withdraw it and apologise." "No," she replied. "Then leave the house for the rest of the week," Brownlee said. "Happily," Swarbrick answered, noting she and her Greens colleagues wore Middle Eastern keffiyehs around their necks.