Malaysia calls for lasting solution to the Palestinian cause, wants UNSC to act fast

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s executive committee of Foreign Ministers held an extraordinary virtual meeting on Sunday on the escalating tension in the Israeli-occupied territory of Palestine. Photo courtesy of official Twitter page of Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein..

PUTRAJAYA, May 17 – Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Sunday reiterated Malaysia’s support for the people of Palestine, while calling for an end to the ongoing and escalating violence in the Israel-occupied region, and a lasting solution to Palestinian cause.

He said the root cause of the conflict must be addressed. “Peace in the region cannot be realized without an independent State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital. This is the only viable solution to the Palestinian-Israel conflict. There is no peace otherwise, there can never be peace with a state of temporary borders.”

A press release by the Foreign Ministry today said the minister made these calls and several recommendations during an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) executive committee of Foreign Ministers on Sunday following worldwide calls for a ceasefire as Israel and Palestinian forces continued their fighting, with the death toll reaching more than 140. Fifty children were also reported as being casualties in the ongoing conflict.

Hishammuddin called on the OIC to pressure the United Nations Security Council to act urgently. “Israel must be made to fully comply with all its obligations as prescribed by relevant UNSC resolutions, including Resolution 2334 and international law, as well as the Charter of the United Nations.

The minister also called on for international protection for all in the Occupied Palestinian Territory from the UN but added “We cannot simply wait for the United Nations to act while more are killed – can’t we in the OIC immediately step up to the plate and help the Palestinians in any way possible? We cannot just keep talking, we must show the world that Muslim nations are here to help.”

Malaysia, he said, is also working with Indonesia and Brunei to call for an end to Israeli aggression, and urged the international community, particularly OIC member states to pursue all legal, political and economic channels to pressure Israel.

— WE