KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is saddened and disappointed by the inability of the United Nations Security Council to immediately halt Israeli violence against the Palestinians, saying the attacks are a war crime which violates the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the Israeli regime’s escalation of violence and widespread bombardment violated international law, human rights law, international humanitarian law and the Charter of the UN.
He regretted that until now the UN Security Council had not issued any statement on the current situation in Palestine due to opposition from the United States although 119 Palestinians had been killed and hundreds more injured in the attacks.
“Nevertheless, Malaysia will continue with our efforts in urging the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to act swiftly in compelling Israel to stop its attacks on the Palestinians,” he said in his special address on the Palestinian issue aired over Bernama TV and other local broadcasting stations today.
Muhyiddin stressed that the cruel and despicable actions of the Israeli military, especially the bombing, shelling and destruction of properties, without any compassion and mercy for the Palestinians, must be strongly condemned by the rest of the world.
Muhyiddin said he had a telephone conversation with Indonesian President Joko Widodo today, and they shared the view that the Israeli regime’s despicable actions should cease immediately and that the international community, especially the UN Security Council, should act swiftly.
“In this regard, Malaysia will take the lead, together with Indonesia and Brunei, in issuing a joint statement to strongly condemn Israel’s oppressive attacks on the Palestinians,” he said.
He said the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold a virtual Emergency Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the foreign ministers’ level to discuss the latest developments in Palestine, which is expected to take place tomorrow.
It has been reported that the Israeli Zionist regime’s incursions and attacks on the Palestinians this time started with its storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on May 7 and airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since Monday.
Sharing Malaysians’ concerns with the plight of the Palestinians, Muhyiddin said Malaysia has been closely following the latest developments in Palestine, especially the inhumane and hostile aggression by the regime in the Gaza Strip and atrocities committed against the Palestinians in the West Bank.
“These brutal and vicious attacks are very disturbing to Muslims all over the world especially since they were mounted not only in the holy month of Ramadan but continue till the month of Syawal where Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid,” he added.
The prime minister reaffirmed Malaysia’s principled stand in consistently giving strong political, economic and moral support to Palestine and the struggles of its people, adding that the best solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can only be reached through negotiations.
He said Malaysia is all for a fair and equitable settlement through the Two-State Solution based on the pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine as the only viable solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Malaysia will continue to support all efforts for a just and lasting solution, in particular through negotiations involving all the relevant parties based on international laws and the relevant UN resolutions, he said.
“I believe that peace-loving Malaysians remain firm to the principle that there are no credible reasons for any disproportionate, arbitrary and excessive use of force on Palestine, and strongly reject Israel’s terror acts against the Palestinian people.
“In our show of undivided support and solidarity for Palestine, we must stand firm together in voicing out Malaysia’s stance on Israel’s inhumane actions against the Palestinians,” he added. — Bernama
