New Zealand’s Parliament on Tuesday expelled Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick from the debating chamber after she refused to apologise for comments made during a speech urging recognition of Palestinian statehood.Swarbrick had challenged government lawmakers to support her member’s bill proposing sanctions against Israel over what she described as “war crimes.” She told the chamber that “if we find six of 68 government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history.”House Speaker Gerry Brownlee ruled the remark “completely unacceptable” and instructed Swarbrick to retract it and apologise or face suspension for the rest of the week. The lawmaker declined, stating she would “happily” leave. Brownlee confirmed she could return from Wednesday if she issued an apology.The exchange came shortly after Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour raised an objection to a Palestinian scarf, or keffiyeh, placed on Swarbrick’s seat. Green Party members have been wearing keffiyehs in the chamber since 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians.Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Monday that the government would review its stance on recognising a Palestinian state in September. While nearly 150 UN member states have granted such recognition, key Western allies including the United States and the United Kingdom have not.