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STATEMENT BY

H.E. MR. AHMAD FAISAL MUHAMAD

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

AT THE

UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL QUARTERLY OPEN DEBATE ON

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION

 

Mr. President,

 

Thank you for convening this meeting. Malaysia takes this opportunity to congratulate and welcome the new non-permanent members of this Council. We align ourselves with the statements of NAM and OIC.

 

Mr. President,

 

2. A new year has begun, and praise be to God, on a promising note. We welcome the deal on a ceasefire in Gaza.  We hope this will end the catastrophic suffering endured by the Palestinian people for over 15 months.  During that period, the world had witnessed sheer barbarity and utter contempt of international law. It saw wanton killing of civilians, mostly women and children, and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructures. It witnessed this Council’s ineptitude in upholding international peace and security.

 

3. It is however, concerning that just as the world sees a glimmer of hope in Gaza, Israel’s occupation forces escalate their violent operations in the West Bank, and illegal settlers intensify the expansion of their illegal settlements, destroying Palestinian homes and properties. These provocative acts, have the potential of undermining the fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

 

4. This Council has a responsibility to ensure that the ceasefire in Gaza holds. It must ensure that those who either renege on it or actively seek to unravel it, are held to account.

 

Mr. President,

 

5. The laws adopted by the Israeli Knesset against UNRWA, which will enter into force in the coming days, will impede multilateral efforts to protect Palestinians, and also jeopardise the ceasefire in Gaza. Malaysia condemns these laws, which seek to dismantle UNRWA. We are also appalled by Israel’s continued refusal to cooperate with the Agency and the United Nations.

 

6. It is abundantly clear that Israel wants to unravel UNRWA and expel it from Palestinian territory, so that it can complete its insidious plan of ethnic cleansing and full annexation.  The indispensable and irreplaceable role of UNRWA has been reaffirmed countless times by various parties. Israel must rescind these laws, and cease its attacks against the Agency and the United Nations.

 

7. Seventy-eight years since the adoption of General Assembly Resolution 181 (II), the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state remains unfulfilled. This Council must compel Israel to reverse all actions that undermine the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state.

 

8. The occupation has lasted for far too long. The International Court of Justice has made clear Israel’s obligation to end its occupation of the Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible.

 

9. We hope that the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, scheduled for June this year, will chart a clear and irreversible path towards the long-overdue establishment of a sovereign State of Palestine.

 

Mr. President,

 

10. As the UN commemorates its 80^th anniversary this year, we are at the most opportune moment to resolving the Palestinian question. We call on all parties to muster the political will to ensure that international law is upheld, and support the inalienable right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, in order for peace to prevail for Palestine, for Israel and for the region.

 

Thank you.