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A party calling for the dismantling of Israel secured registration in New Zealand on August 5, despite more than 200 submissions opposing it.
The Palestine Free from the River to the Sea Party has also been allocated nearly NZ$79,000 in taxpayer-funded election broadcasting money.
The party’s name invokes the antisemitic slogan “From the river to the sea,” calling for Israel’s elimination between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Its website reinforces that demand with an explicit call to dismantle Israel. Its three stated aims are uniting supporters of the Palestinian cause, pressuring the New Zealand government to support prosecutions over alleged war crimes and genocide, and tying Palestinian liberation to a broader anti-imperialist struggle. It also calls for the return of Palestinian refugees.
Paul Hopkinson, the party’s founder, serves as national spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) campaign in New Zealand. The PFLP is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, though New Zealand has not designated the group.
Hopkinson told the New Arab on June 23 that the party offered “unconditional support for all forms of Palestinian resistance, including armed resistance.” He argued that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad should not appear on New Zealand’s list of terrorist organizations.
Israel Institute of New Zealand spokesperson Greg Bouwer said, “If ‘From the river to the sea’ becomes the formal identity of a registered political movement, we should expect the meaning of Zionism, Israel’s continued existence and Jewish national self-determination, to become election issues,” adding that rival parties must resist competing for the same voters through inflammatory rhetoric.
The New Zealand Jewish Council recorded its highest annual number of antisemitic incidents in 2025, including five assaults and fifteen cases of desecration or damage to Jewish sites. Its report also criticized members of parliament for participating in online forums expressing “vile antisemitism” and joining rallies promoted by groups “widely condemned for their racism,” let alone taking part in the “hateful chants” of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” or endorsing “intifada.”
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