The government of New Zealand denied apologising to Jerusalem over its co-sponsorship of a controversial UN motion on Israel as the two countries restored diplomatic ties this week.
Bill English, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly saying he "regretted the damage done to Israel-New Zealand relations as a result of New Zealand proposing Resolution 2344 at the Security Council".
However, Gerry Brownlee, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, told the New Zealand Herald that the country was “not apologising for anything.
"We're simply saying that friends who are estranged can't talk about these matters”, he said. “So being able to discuss them is important."
