Malaysia’s Support For Palestine Rooted In Humanitarian Principles, Not Politics - Mohamad

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has reaffirmed that its support for the Palestinian struggle is grounded in humanitarian principles and universal justice, rather than being driven solely by political sentiment or allegiance to specific groups.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said this long-standing position has remained consistent, including on matters involving Hamas, which is one of the entities within the landscape of the Palestinian struggle.

He said Malaysia has never wavered in advocating for the rights of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland and to establish a sovereign state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“Many have asked, including my counterparts, why Malaysia supports Hamas, when it has been labelled a terrorist organisation. Malaysia has said that we are not supporting Hamas, we are supporting the struggle of the Palestinians and Hamas is a part of them.

“On various platforms, whether at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the UN General Assembly or the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Malaysia has consistently raised this issue and condemned Israel’s atrocities,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a question from Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PN-Sik) regarding the government's latest efforts to defend the plight of Muslims in Gaza.

Mohamad further said that the atrocities in Gaza have exceeded all bounds of humanity and are almost beyond description.

In fact, he said, more countries that previously supported the Zionist regime are now shifting their stance after witnessing the excessive violence inflicted on Palestinian civilians.

“They have realised how cruel the Zionist Israeli regime is in killing women and children. They claim that they (Israel) have the right to self-defence, but does killing women and children constitute self-defence?” he said.

He added that Malaysia will once again propose for a reform of the UNSC veto power at the upcoming UN General Assembly to ensure that the principles of justice and humanity are no longer denied by major powers.

Mohamad said that although calls to end the crisis in Gaza now represent a majority, the absolute use of veto power within the UNSC has often thwarted efforts to defend the Palestinian people.

He said the reform proposal will also include limiting the use of veto power in cases involving genocide, crimes against humanity, and the destruction of public infrastructure.

“Veto power must be restricted and cannot be used arbitrarily. We are also calling for the expansion of non-permanent membership to include countries from Asia, Africa, and South America.

“This is what we are pushing for, and the proposal has received positive feedback from like-minded countries and from Malaysia,” he said.

-- BERNAMA