STATEMENT BY
THE HONOURABLE DATO’ SERI DIRAJA ZAMBRY ABD KADIR
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF MALAYSIA
AT THE PLENARY MEETING
ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION [ ITEM 34 AND 35]
28 NOVEMBER 2023
Mr. President,
Malaysia aligns itself with the statement delivered by Mauritania on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). I would also like to thank the Secretary General, and Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) for the reports.
Mr. President,
2. We have been grappling with the question of Palestine for decades. Here in this august chamber, countless views have been articulated, in numerous proceedings, producing voluminous reports and quite a few resolutions. The Palestinian question is indeed a longstanding problem that this organisation, and the entire international community has failed to resolve, despite all efforts.
3. To this day, the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination continues to be denied. Palestinians continue to be dispossessed, not only of their lands and homes, but also of their basic human rights and dignity. They continue to be oppressed, in many unimaginable inhumane ways. They continue to be seen and treated as sub-humans by their occupiers, who continue to impose upon them repressive apartheid policies.
4. And the world continues to ignore their sufferings. Almost every time when violence flares up, we would call for meetings not unlike the one we are having now, reiterate our support for the Palestinians’ right for statehood and the two-state solution, and issue another resolution recalling previous resolutions, which have been almost entirely ignored. Then, nothing happens. Another resolution ignored and the perpetrator is let off with impunity. Occupation and oppression resumes. For how long more, are we going to let this continue?
Mr President,
5. We all know, and we have been saying this – the current violent outbreak in the region, does not happen in a vacuum. The backdrop is over 70 years of illegal occupation of Palestinian land and the inhumane oppression of the Palestinians by the occupying power, that is Israel.
6. The people of Gaza have been living in what has been described as “the biggest open-air prison in the world” due to the Israel’s brutal land, sea and air blockade. In recent years, Israel’s actions have become increasingly belligerent, which can be seen by the rising incidences of hate speech and provocative actions by some of the high-ranking government officials, the extremely disproportionate and violent operations of the Israeli forces in the occupied Palestinian territories that have caused record number of civilian deaths, injuries and destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, as well as the rise in settler violence towards Palestinians.
7. The 2023 report of the UN the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (SCIIP), of which Malaysia is a member, makes the following observations;
- As of August 2023, Israeli Forces had already killed more Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories this year, compared to any other year since 2005.
- As of September 2023, Israel was holding 1,264 Palestinians in administrative detention, the highest number in over a decade.
- Up until September this year, UN OCHA documented an average of three instances of settler violence a day in 2023, compared to an average of two per day in 2022 and one per day in 2021. This is the highest daily average of settler-related incidents affecting Palestinians since the UN started recording this data in 2006.
8. Those are just a few facts extracted from the report, denoting the extremely volatile situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, even before the horrendous events of October 7th.
Mr President,
9. Malaysia welcomes the agreement for a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza, reached on 22nd November, and applauds all parties that worked extremely hard to achieve it. The agreement is an important step in the right direction to stop further loss of innocent lives and enable the desperately needed humanitarian aid be supplied into Gaza in sufficient quantities. We further commend the decision to extend the “humanitarian pause”.
10. However, it is hugely disappointing that the pause in hostilities could only be reached only after more than six weeks of Israeli rampage and collective punishment of the people in Gaza, causing carnage of thousands of innocent lives, destruction and humanitarian situation of apocalyptic proportion. The “humanitarian pause” only happened almost four weeks after 121 countries resoundingly called for “humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” during the Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly. It took place only after numerous pleas by UN agencies and the Secretary General, who had described Gaza as “hell on earth” and “a graveyard for children”. The “humanitarian pause” was only agreed after millions of people marched in capitals all around the world, united and unequivocal in their chant of “ceasefire now!”.
11. The sad fact is that the ‘humanitarian pause’ happened only after close to 15,000 Palestinians, including about 4,000 women and 6000 children, had been killed in Gaza and approximately 2,700 people, including around 1,200 children, had been “reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble”. Over 1.7 million people in Gaza are estimated to have been internally displaced. Humanitarian organisation Save the Children reported that the number of children killed in Gaza, by the end of October, had surpassed the annual number of children killed in all conflict zones across the world, since 2019.
12. Malaysia joins the resolute call by the clear majority of UN member states, for a full ceasefire. The vicious massacre of civilian lives must not resume. The shelling of civilian infrastructures, including hospitals, schools and UN premises are heinous war crimes, and must not resume. The cutting-off the supply of water, electricity and communication services is against international law and must not continue. The forced displacement of Palestinians is also unlawful. It must be stopped and reversed. And the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, up to scale, must be guaranteed throughout Gaza.
13. Malaysia, like many other member states, continue to be gravely concerned with the dire humanitarian condition in Gaza. Malaysia has been a regular contributor to UNRWA. Since the war in Gaza broke out, Malaysia has made an additional contribution of over USD 2 million to UNRWA. We salute all the humanitarian heroes who continue to risk their lives to serve the people of Gaza. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and colleagues of over 100 UNRWA staff who have lost their lives in Gaza since the start of the war. Malaysia finds it deeply disconcerting that the current war in Gaza has been the deadliest conflict ever for UN employees.
14. Malaysia has also sent two planes-loads of humanitarian aid to the region. We thank Egypt for its cooperation. The Malaysian public, NGOs and private sector continue to raise funds to support the humanitarian needs of the people in Gaza. So far, they have raised around USD 5 million for Malaysia’s Humanitarian Trust Fund for the People of Palestine. Malaysia is ready to work with all international partners in humanitarian efforts to ease the sufferings of the people in Gaza.
Mr. President,
15. We must stop the vicious cycle of violence in the region. The international community must not continue paying lip-service to the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. We must take real and decisive actions. We can no longer deny the fact that the only way to achieve peace and security in the region and solve the question of Palestine is to make every effort to support the establishment of a free and independent state of Palestine, in accordance with the two-state solution, based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The illegal and inhumane occupation by Israel of Palestinian land, must end. It is the only solution.
16. Moving forward, it is important that the voice of the Palestinian people be heard, loud and clear, in charting their own future. Palestinians must be involved, front and centre, in any discussion on the future governance of their nation. The wishes of the Palestinians must be at the core of the discussion. It is the only way to ensure the credibility of the process and its success.
17. Importantly, the principles of justice and accountability must be upheld. All violations of international law must be properly investigated. There must not be impunity for those who commit war crimes. Impunity and double standards in applying international law only encourage further violations. The war in Gaza is a litmus test for the international community and this organisation. War crimes have been clearly and blatantly committed in this war. Failure to bring perpetrators of war crimes to justice will only confirm the perception of hypocrisy, selectivity and double standards. It will further erode trust in the multilateral system, which would be disastrous in this time of numerous multifaceted global challenges.
18. The implications of failure to uphold international law are undoubtedly far-reaching. Diminished trust in multilateral institutions paves the way for unilateral actions, for might over right, and for a world where the principles of international law become mere suggestions rather than binding norms. This is a dangerous path - one that can lead to more conflicts, suffering and injustice.
19. Let us turn this dark moment in our history into an opportunity to revive our commitment to a fair and just world order, as called by the Secretary General in his policy brief New Agenda for Peace. Let us work towards strengthening our multilateral institutions, ensuring they stand as beacons of fairness, justice, and equality. Only then can we hope to build a world where trust in our international systems is restored and where peace and justice are not just aspirational goals but tangible realities for all.
Mr President,
20. We must not wait any longer. It is time to deliver to the Palestinians their equal and rightful place among us, the free nations of the world. It is time for a free and independent state of Palestine.
I thank you.