Malaysia reaffirms support for Palestine, to push for UN Charter reform
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said despite receiving what he described as "various reasons" from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a recent meeting on the sidelines of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM), Malaysia would not waver from its long-standing support for the Palestinian struggle.
He also said Malaysia would not back down from voicing its stance at international platforms such as Asean, BRICS, G20, OIC, and in bilateral meetings.
"During my recent meeting with Secretary Rubio, I asked him why we cannot put an end to this war, because we know that one of the powers capable of doing so is the US, as a strong ally of the Israeli regime.
"I posed the question to him, and while he gave various reasons, we will persist in our efforts.
"Our support for the Palestinian struggle is a core principle and aligns with Malaysia's long-standing position. We will not waver on this," he said during the question-and-answer session in Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohamad said this in response to Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (PH-Ledang), who enquired about international platforms or specific diplomatic initiatives that Malaysia will use to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict involving Israel, including tensions between Israel and Iran.
Mohamad also pointed out the shifting sentiments within the international community, noting that countries which had initially supported Israel's actions, particularly in the immediate aftermath of the Oct 7 incident, have begun to reconsider their stance.
"Many of them once justified Israel's actions under the pretext of self-defence, but we questioned how killing women and children could ever be considered as such.
"Thankfully, several countries, including Europe, Japan and Asean dialogue partners, have since acknowledged that the Israeli regime has gone too far, and are calling for the war in Gaza to end."
Meanwhile, Mohamad said Asean alongside its dialogue partners, are calling for an amendment to the United Nations (UN) Charter to prevent the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) from using their veto power arbitrarily, especially in cases involving crimes against humanity, genocide, or the destruction of civilian infrastructure.
"Recently, during the AMM, Malaysia and Japan co-chaired a session on ways to continue extending support and assistance, as well as formulating a roadmap for us to bring to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the UNSC.
"Although we received majority support at the UNGA for our resolution to establish an independent Palestinian state, it was vetoed by one of the five permanent members of the UN.
"This is why we are now calling for an amendment and it is an ongoing effort, which we hope to garner widespread support from the international community as we prepare to bring this matter to the UNGA this September."
He added that there is now a growing consensus to revive the two-state solution, allowing Palestinians to establish an independent and self-governing state, but securing US support remains crucial.
"I also told them (the US) that they are the ones holding the keys, and the war can be stopped tomorrow if you want, but they keep shifting the goalposts.
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