The “Free Palestine” party in New Zealand is seeking to register for the 2026 elections, running on a platform calling for the dismantling of Israel.Follow us on Google People take part in a pro-Palestinian protest at Aotea Square in Auckland, New Zealand, October 14, 2023.(photo credit: REUTERS/David Rowland)ByMICHAEL STARRJUNE 9, 2026 20:31The Palestine Free from the River to the Sea Party is seeking to finalize its registration for the 2026 New Zealand Elections, running on a platform dedicated to dismantling Israel.Due to an error on digital forms, the party is rushing to reapply for almost 600 members to conform with electoral commission requirements, party president Paul Hopkinson said in a Facebook post on Sunday.The longtime far-left activist announced the creation of the party, also called the Free Palestine Party, on May 11.The party has six principles as part of its platform, five of which relate to Israel and the Palestinians. The party calls for a right of return for Palestinians, and the "dismantling of the Zionist structure of the state of Israel" in favor of a "single state in Palestine" that is "bi-national, secular and democratic, with full and equal citizenship for all with ethnic and religious rights protected in a democratic constitution."Other principles call for the end of military occupation in the Levant, prosecution for supposed war crimes and "genocide" to hold Israel for account for "gross abuses of Palestinian human rights." The party offers "unconditional and complete solidarity" for all forms of Palestinian "resistance," a euphemism commonly used for Hamas and other terrorist organizations.The final principle demands that New Zealand withdraw from all security alliances with the US and distance itself from the US and England.According to its website, the party hopes to advance its objectives in parliament by winning seats and by building ties to other global movements."The Palestine Free from the River to the Sea Party is committed to contesting parliamentary elections as an independent party and building a mass democratic movement for justice in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and internationally," reads the website. "We aim to change public opinion and put sustained parliamentary pressure on the New Zealand government to uphold its obligations under international law with respect to Palestine."Taxpayer money spent on anti-Zionist hate New Zealand Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses said that the issue for the Jewish community is that if the party were to successfully register, it would receive taxpayer funding to advance an agenda that essentially demanded an end to Israel. The Free Palestine Party didn't seem to win the elections, but to use the electoral system to raise awareness for its cause.Israel Institute of New Zealand co-director David Cumin said that it was wonderful to live in a democracy like Israel and New Zealand, where anyone could run for office, but it was disappointing that "500 people support a party with the singular policy of destroying the Jewish state.""They will now use taxpayer money to spread their anti-Zionist hate around New Zealand. We hope good people will see what they are and not remain silent," said Cumin.The IINZ co-director also noted that Hopkinson was an activist advocating on behalf of the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.In an April speech, Hopkinson described himself as a "national spokesperson for the PFLP campaign of Aotearoa," according to footage published on Facebook by Otautahi Palestine Solidarity Network.According to the electoral commission website, parties are advised to submit their paperwork by June 11, to allow for enough processing time before the August 6 deadline. The election is scheduled for November.Follow us on Google