ABIM strongly condemns US veto of UN ceasefire resolution in Gaza
KUALA LUMPUR: The Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) has strongly condemned the United States' decision to veto the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
ABIM president Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin said the move, despite overwhelming support from 14 of the 15 UNSC members, reflected a blatant disregard for global consensus and the urgent need to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
'The rationale offered by the US, that the resolution failed to tie the ceasefire to the release of hostages, reveals a disturbing prioritisation of geopolitical interests over the lives of over two million Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are women and children,' he said in a statement today.
He said that the resolution's omission of specific condemnation of Hamas' actions on Oct 7, 2023, or demands for disarmament, cannot and should not be used as justification to oppose efforts aimed at halting indiscriminate killings and mass displacement.
He stressed that a permanent ceasefire is a prerequisite for any sustainable resolution to the conflict, not a bargaining chip to be traded at the expense of human lives.
Ahmad Fahmi said ABIM reiterated that any path to peace must be based on justice, respect for international law and the recognition of the Palestinian people's inalienable rights, including their right to self-determination, statehood and the right of return.
'The United States' repeated use of its veto power has continued to shield Israel from accountability, further eroding the legitimacy of international institutions and fuelling impunity for war crimes,' he said.
He said that, as such, ABIM has called for three key actions, namely an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to end hostilities and protect civilians in Gaza; an international accountability mechanism to investigate and prosecute war crimes, including attacks on hospitals, schools and refugee camps; and the need for global pressure, especially from Muslim-majority and Global South nations, to demand justice for Palestinians and to halt all forms of complicity with the Israeli regime, including military and economic support.
ABIM also reaffirmed its commitment to mobilising international solidarity and supporting the Malaysian government's diplomatic efforts through platforms such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and ASEAN.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
14 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Israel, Iran trade missile fire as Trump warns Tehran to 'evacuate'
TEHRAN: Israel and Iran traded missile fire for a fifth straight day Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump warned Tehran residents to "immediately evacuate" and left a G7 summit early. Despite growing calls for the longtime foes to end hostilities, neither Israel nor Iran showed any signs of cutting short the missile blitz kicked off Friday, when Israel launched an unprecedented series of aerial raids targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities. After a new wave of Israeli strikes on Iran's capital -- including a dramatic attack on a state TV building -- both countries activated their missile defence systems overnight into Tuesday, with Israel's army briefly urging residents to seek shelter from incoming Iranian missiles. The Chinese embassy in Tel Aviv warned its citizens to leave the country immediately, as the United States said it was deploying "additional capabilities" to the Middle East, according to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz departed Southeast Asia on Monday after cancelling plans to dock in Vietnam, amid reports it was headed to the Middle East to boost the US presence there. But a White House spokesman stressed that US forces in the Middle East remained in a defensive posture, despite the flurry of activity. Trump has repeatedly declined to say if the United States would participate in Israeli military action, although he says it was not involved in the initial strikes. After calling on the two sides to make a deal, the US leader issued an extraordinary warning on his Truth Social platform. "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump wrote without offering further details, before cutting short his attendance at the G7 in Canada to head back to the White House. SURPRISE AERIAL CAMPAIGN After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel launched a surprise aerial campaign against Iran last week, with the stated aim of preventing Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons -- an ambition it denies. Iran has launched several waves of missiles in retaliation for Israel's attacks, with Iran's Revolutionary Guards boasting Monday evening that the attacks would continue "without interruption until dawn". The sudden flare-up has sparked fears of a wider conflict, with Trump urging Iran back to the negotiating table after Israel's attacks derailed ongoing nuclear talks. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said a missile strike lightly damaged a building used by the American embassy in Tel Aviv, while the US State Department warned citizens on Monday not to travel to Israel due to security concerns. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel so far and hundreds wounded, according to the prime minister's office. Israel's strikes have killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities. Netanyahu told a press conference Monday evening that Israel was eliminating Iran's security leadership "one after the other". "We are changing the face of the Middle East, and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself," he said. International calls for calm have mounted. At the Group of Seven summit in the Canadian Rockies, leaders including Trump called Monday for "de-escalation" while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself. "We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza", G7 leaders said in a joint statement that also affirmed "Iran can never have a nuclear weapon". China called on Israel and Iran to both "immediately take measures to cool down the tensions" and avoid plunging the region into deeper turmoil. The United States and Iran had engaged in several rounds of indirect talks on Tehran's nuclear programme in recent weeks, but Iran said after the start of Israel's campaign that it would not negotiate while under attack. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that "absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue". "It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy," he wrote on X. A senior US official told AFP Trump had intervened to prevent Israel from carrying out an assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Netanyahu did not rule out the possibility when asked about the reports during an interview with ABC News.
The Star
17 minutes ago
- The Star
Pakistan shuts border with Iran as Tehran trades strikes with Israel
Pakistani security personnel check the documents of people who came from Iran at the Pakistan-Iran border in Taftan on June 16, 2025. Pakistan has closed all its border crossings with neighbouring Iran for an indefinite period, provincial officials said on June 16, as Israel and Iran trade intense strikes and threaten further attacks. - AFP QUETTA: Pakistan has closed all its border crossings with neighbouring Iran for an indefinite period, provincial officials said on Monday (June 15), as Israel and Iran trade intense strikes and threaten further attacks. "Border facilities in all five districts - Chaghi, Washuk, Panjgur, Kech and Gwadar - have been suspended," Qadir Bakhsh Pirkani, a senior official in Balochistan province, which borders Iran, told AFP. Crossing into Iran "has been suspended until further notice", said Atta ul Munim, an official at one of the crossings in Chaghi district. However, there was "no ban on trade" activities at the border and Pakistani nationals needing to return to their the country from Iran can cross, he added. "We're expecting around 200 Pakistani students coming today," Atta said. On Sunday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said 450 Pakistani pilgrims were evacuated from Iran, with more to follow, as well as from Iraq - the two countries hosting the holiest sites in Shiite Islam. Pakistan, the only Muslim-majority country with nuclear weapons, said on Friday it "stands in solidarity with the Government and the people of Iran" against strikes by Israel, which both Islamabad and Tehran do not recognise. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday warned that the world "should be wary and apprehensive about Israel's nuclear prowess" and accused it of lacking "any international nuclear discipline". Israel is the Middle East's only nuclear power, although undeclared. Media reports have said Pakistan may support Tehran if the conflict was to widen, but officials in Islamabad have reiterated that their country is only showing "moral and diplomatic solidarity". Predominantly Sunni Pakistan shares a more than 900-kilometre (560-mile) border with Shiite-majority Iran. The relationship between the two neighbours has been complex, with Pakistan often wary of US-led sanctions on Tehran and also mindful of its ties with Riyadh, which has repeatedly helped rescue its economy by rolling over overdue debts. Bilateral trade between the two countries stands at around US$3 billion and officials have vowed to boost it to US$10 billion in the coming years. - AFP
Daily Express
29 minutes ago
- Daily Express
Netanyahu suggests killing Iran's supreme leader would end conflict
Published on: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jun 17, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Netanyahu unleashed fierce criticism of Khamenei, blasting his 'anti-Semitic, mad fanaticism' and his backing of proxy attacks meant to 'snuff out the life' of Israel. - AFP pic WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday did not rule out plans to assassinate Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying it would 'end the conflict' between the two arch-foes. In a 20-minute interview with US network ABC News, the Israeli leader insisted his country's deadly aggression to 'defang' Iran was justified, and equated Khamenei to a 'modern Hitler.' Advertisement But when asked about reports that US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill the supreme leader out of concern it would escalate the Iran-Israel showdown, Netanyahu was dismissive. 'It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict,' he said. 'The 'forever war' is what Iran wants, and they're bringing us to the brink of nuclear war,' Netanyahu said. 'In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil.' Netanyahu did not reveal whether or not Israel was targeting the ayatollah, saying only: 'We're doing what we need to do.' As Israel unleashes its punishing strikes across Iran and the Islamic republic punches back with volleys of missiles, Netanyahu has maintained an aggressive posture. In a bid to communicate with citizens of his country's chief ally, the prime minister has sat for lengthy American media interviews twice in as many days, framing Israel's conflict with Iran as 'a battle of civilization against barbarism.' Americans, he stressed Monday, should be deeply concerned both about Tehran's efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon and its increasingly muscular ballistic missile capability. 'Today it's Tel Aviv, tomorrow it's New York,' Netanyahu told ABC correspondent Jon Karl. Netanyahu unleashed fierce criticism of Khamenei, blasting his 'anti-Semitic, mad fanaticism' and his backing of proxy attacks meant to 'snuff out the life' of Israel. 'He's like a modern Hitler. He just will not stop, but we're going to make sure that he doesn't have the means to carry out his threats.' In defending Israel's sweeping attacks, Netanyahu said setting back Iran's nuclear program is 'preventing the most horrific war imaginable and... bringing peace to the Middle East.' 'That will be possible if Iran is defanged,' he added. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
