STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE DATO’ SERI DIRAJA ZAMBRY ABD KADIR MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF MALAYSIA AT THE OPEN DEBATE OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION 29 NOVEMBER 2023

Mr. President,

Malaysia records its appreciation to China, as President of the Security Council for convening this important debate.

2.   I am here, bringing with me the message from peace-loving Malaysians under the leadership of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who have been deeply concerned and enormously distressed by the October 7 attack against civilians and the following vengeful and brutal slaughter of innocent lives in Gaza. The heart-wrenching images of children killed, maimed and shell-shocked, in the aftermath of Israeli indiscriminate shelling of their homes, schools and hospitals, have shaken our human sensibilities to the core.

Mr. President,

3.   Malaysia welcomes the adoption of Resolution 2712 of the Security Council. We commend member states, for their wisdom to reach a compromise. The resolution was a breakthrough, outlining the urgently needed temporary measures, to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. All parties must respect and implement the resolution in full. We therefore welcome the “humanitarian pause”, which began on 24th November, that had been extended. But we must note that this is not the solution. This must be the beginning for a lasting peace process and a permanent ceasefire.

4.   We regret that it took about seven weeks before the “humanitarian pause” was agreed. It is outrageous that about 15,000 innocent civilians had to die, including about 6000 children, before the deal for a “humanitarian pause” was reached. It was agreed only after Gaza had become a “hell on earth” and a “graveyard for children”, after half of the homes and buildings in Gaza reduced to rubbles, and more than a million inhabitants forcibly displaced. The “pause” was only agreed after more than 100 UN staff lost their lives, making Gaza the deadliest conflict ever for UN employees.

Mr. President,

5.   We must not let the killings of innocent lives continue. No more children must die, be maimed, or orphaned. We must stop the war. Never allow anyone’s hand be stained with the blood of the innocent, complicitly and directly.

6.   Malaysia calls on the Security Council to heed the resounding cry of concerned citizens of the world, who have been demanding a ceasefire. It is also the unequivocal calls repeatedly made by the majority of UN Member States, UN agencies, and the Secretary General.

7.   Our focus must be to relieve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Unhindered humanitarian access and the supply of humanitarian aid, including life-saving essentials such as water, food, medicine and fuel, up to scale, through-out Gaza, must be guaranteed.

8.   Malaysia rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians, which is a clear violation of international law. Malaysia is deeply concerned with Israel’s intention to unilaterally establish so-called ‘safe zones’, which has been rejected by the UN and other humanitarian agencies.

Mr. President,

9.   The only way to achieve a just and durable solution to the Palestinian question is by granting the Palestinian people their inalienable right to self- determination, through the establishment of a free and independent state of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

10.   The Security Council, must deliver on its responsibility and start taking all necessary steps to make the two-state solution a reality. It is the solution that enjoys the overwhelming support of the international community and endorsed by numerous UN resolutions.