KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has made it clear today that it is disappointed by the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) inability to come up with a unified position to halt Israel's violence against Palestinians.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said at the UNSC open Video TeleConference (VTC) debate on the situation in the Middle East yesterday, Malaysia had urged the Security Council to exercise its primary responsibility of maintaining peace and security in the region, as well as to make full use of available tools to avoid an escalation of violence and to prevent further loss of life in Palestine.
This was the third session of the UNSC this week and yet not a single statement has been released on the current situation in Palestine, the minister said.
Hishammuddin said, in the absence of any UNSC unified action, Malaysia, in line with its joint call with Brunei and Indonesia, urged the General Assembly to convene a Special Session to immediately end the hostilities.
"The UN must force Israel to comply with all obligations by international law as well as the UN Charter.
"Once again, Malaysia condemns in the strongest terms the incursion, indiscriminate and escalating attacks by the Israeli Occupation Forces and Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"Malaysia also condemns in the strongest terms all forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes, including those in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem," he said in a statement today.
Malaysia, Hishammuddin stressed, would never recognise any blatant seizure of Palestinian land by Israel for their illegal settlements.
He also said Malaysia had raised three key points at yesterday's UNSC open VTC debate including on the need for the Security Council to act fast and fulfil its duties under the United Nations (UN) Charter.
The second key point was to speak with one voice, and act swiftly and decisively to respond to the series of Israeli aggression as well as to revisit the recommendation contained in the Secretary-General's report in 2018, A/ES-10/794, on the deployment of UN-mandated armed forces or unarmed observers to improve the protection of Palestinians.
