Some facts set aside

Jim Young’s letter of December 27 denouncing the Prime Minister for New Zealand’s United Nations vote opposing Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital omitted significant facts.

Notably he failed to state that New Zealand voted with the UK, France, Germany, Italy and at least 90 other countries, in addition to those he cited. As a loyal monarchist, why is Young objecting to standing with Britain?

Why did he omit these countries from his list?

Twenty-one countries chose to abstain.

Should New Zealand want to avoid supporting what has been UN policy since 1967? Instead New Zealand voted with 127 other countries that also included Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Switzerland. What is naive or ‘leftist’ about that decision?

Should New Zealand join Guatemala instead, with a history of murderous repression of 150,000 of its Mayan population, for which its former leader has yet to be held accountable? Should it follow Honduras, which has recently been the subject of street protests about electoral fraud and accusations of corruption?

These are two of the nine countries that supported the United States in the UN vote. Shouldn’t New Zealanders prefer to endorse the position taken by Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury?

DOLORES JANIEWSKI

Highbury