Israel's embassy in New Zealand has officially taken objection to Jacinda Ardern's description of this week's Gaza conflict in which 60 Palestinians were killed as "one-sided".
The embassy has responded to the Prime Minister's comments made on Tuesday, May 15, describing them as a regrettable misrepresentation of the conflict that occurred.
"It is astonishing to see how much disinformation is being used against Israel for its self-defense on the Gaza border," Israel's Embassy says in the press release.
"The government of New Zealand, which has recognised Hamas as a terror organisation, regrettably has not condemned Hamas for its actions nor its investment in terrorism."
"Israel is unjustly and against any objective reasoning accused of using disproportionate force against Hamas.
"The use of force must be judged not by the number of casualties (and don't forget that the majority of them are Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists)."
Ms Ardern had described the conflict as "a devastating one-sided loss of life" in an overall critical assessment made hours after the incident.
However, she would not go so far as to say the attacks from Israel were a breach of international law, without a full briefing.
"This is the most significant violence we've seen in a number of years," Ms Ardern said on Tuesday morning.
"We would condemn the violence that has occurred, and I think it's plain to see that the effects of this decision and the ramifications are wide-reaching."
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