KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is part of a core group which is working on a United Nation’s draft resolution related to the Israel-Palestine conflict — which among others is looking at the possibility of removing Israel’s membership from the United Nations, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the draft resolution will also seek advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on international agencies and UN agencies presence and activities in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
“The Foreign Minister had brought this issue in the meeting. The draft resolution is in the negotiation process and we will study if Israel can be removed as a member of UN if there is violation of laws,” he said during a ministerial explanation in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Nov 4).
In the wake of the Israeli government’s ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East’s (UNRWA) humanitarian aid operations, Anwar said Malaysia will propose for full support to be given to the body to continue providing aid to Palestinians.
UNRWA supports Palestinian refugees with humanitarian aid in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as surrounding countries.
On Oct 28, Israeli Parliament or Knesset had approved bills to ban the body from operating in the conflict-ridden area.
The proposal, said Anwar, will be made at the Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov 11, which he will be attending.
“Malaysia intends to use this meeting to get support from Arab and Muslim nations on this initiative and to prevent the implementation of the Oct 28 decision of the Israeli Parliament to wipe out UNRWA and worsen the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza which has been ridden by famine since basic aid has been cut off,” Anwar said.
At the summit, Anwar said he will bring the Malaysian parliament and people’s mandate to stop the violence inflicted by Israel against Palestinians, occupation and destruction of houses of worship in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), open attacks in Lebanon and Iran as well as the assassination of leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.
He said the conference can also be used as a platform to support ceasefire mediation efforts that the United States, Egypt and Qatar had embarked on.
“Malaysia’s participation as a member of the Global Alliance is also part of efforts to step up diplomatic pressure against Israel to carry out a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, push for the release of Palestinian prisoners and continuation of humanitarian aid for Palestinians,” he said.
He said action plans and concrete steps for the independence of Palestine will also be discussed within a reasonable time frame.
He said UNRWA had been a lifeline for distribution of aid for the past 75 years.
He said negotiation for the draft resolution is ongoing and it will be tabled to the UN General Assembly in the near future.
“Once approved, the resolution is expected to be the legal platform to allow UNRWA to continue providing basic services such as education, healthcare and humanitarian aid that will benefit six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria,” he said.
Anwar said Malaysia has taken stronger measures to pressure Israel to end the violence in Palestine, than most countries were wiling to take.
“Malaysia has been strong in its stance. Not many countries in this world had taken similar decisions like Malaysia,” he said, adding that banning Israeli’s shipping company ZIM’s vessels from docking in Malaysian waters are among the measures taken by the government.
"When friends (in the opposition) were in power, they allowed ZIM’s vessels to dock. We didn't allow it. We did more than that,” he said.
Anwar said many countries have reminded him of the risks involved.
As of Nov 1, a total of 43,204 Palestinians including 16,500 children have died during the course of the conflict that has spanned over a year.
