KUALA LUMPUR: Thirty eight members of parliament have extended their support to the notice of protest to the United States, United Kingdom and European Union regarding the ongoing act of cruelty by Israel towards Palestinians.
The Malaysian Parliament Caucus for Palestine head Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said about 30 non-governmental organisations and political activists have also shown their support on the matter.
He said the objective of the notice of protest was to urge the US government to support an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Palestine-Israeli conflict and to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
"The primary focus of the protest was on the substantial military aid provided by the United States to Israel, totalling US$14.5 billion, in addition to the annual US$3.8 billion since 2019.
"This constitutes 16 per cent of Israel's military budget for 2022, a significant amount.
"We demand that the United States halt all direct and indirect military aid to Israel and act more responsibly and fairly in addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict," he said after handing over the notice to the US Embassy today.
He said the protest was received well by the embassy, and that he was told that an engagement session.
Former Permatang Pauh member of parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar and representatives from Global Peace Malaysia were also present.
Syed Ibrahim said he expected more MPs were expected to throw their support behind the notice of protest.
The delegation will also proceed to meet with representatives of the British High Commission in Malaysia, he said.
He said it was important for the MPs to convey their views about the involvement of British citizens in Israeli military forces, which was widely reported in the media.
"We will also stress upon the cessation of financial aid from Britain to Israel," he said.
Syed Ibrahim said the group of MPs have also observed contradictions between the EU president and its member states on opinions pertaining to the Palestine-Israel conflict.
"The EU president explicitly declared support for Israel on Oct 7, but other EU members disagreed with him.
"We hope its members will be more assertive in conveying to the EU president about the views shared by all European countries.
"Their views (must) lean more towards humanity, and ceasing certain actions to ensure an immediate ceasefire in the conflict," he said.
Syed Ibrahim said the release of all detainees, particularly the 1,000 children in Israeli prisons should also be emphasised by all quarters, along with legal action against Israel for its crimes.
"There have 16,248 Palestinians who had lost their lives, including 7,112 children, and this emphasises the urgency for a ceasefire and sustained peace.
"The situation in Gaza is getting dire where 80 per cent of the population of approximately 1.9 million people, have lost their homes.
"Attention must also be given on the lack of proper burials for the dead, critical medical needs of children and women and widespread hunger due to the absence of food aid."
Malaysia has maintained in stand in support of the Palestinian cause.
On Nov 30, the Kedah State Assembly unanimously approved a resolution to condemn Israel's atrocities against Palestinian civilians in Gaza over the past month.
On Oct 13, political leaders from both the government and opposition gathered at Masjid Negara, here, after Friday prayers to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle.
On the same day, protesters gathered outside the United States embassy in Jalan Tun Razak to protest teh US support for the violence against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
