PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries to call for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza.
Speaking at the Extraordinary Islamic Summit of the OIC in Riyadh yesterday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, he said the ummah expects concrete results and action from the conference.
“I call upon each of us (OIC members) to strategically employ our diplomatic channels and networks in every dialogue and on every stage, be it bilateral or multilateral, regional or international,” he said.
“Let us consistently and assertively call for the following in a concerted diplomatic campaign to institute an immediate ceasefire and expedite humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.”
The meeting, held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre, is hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Salman, who is also the de facto ruler of the kingdom.
More than 11,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed as a result of more than a month of Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza. Thousands remained unaccounted for, believed to be trapped under the rubble of razed buildings.
According to an international human rights organisation, Israeli fighter aircraft have dropped more than 25,000 tonnes of explosives on the Gaza Strip since October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel.
Anwar also hoped for a cessation of all Israeli settlement activity and violence on the West Bank.
He called for an international investigation into breaches of international law, including war crimes, in Gaza.
Malaysia supports the Arab Peace Initiative and negotiations to advance the two-state solution, he said.
Anwar asked the OIC to combat the global rise of Islamophobia while safeguarding the right to peaceful expressions of support for the Palestinian cause.
For over a month, he said, the people of Gaza have been subjected to the cruelties of Israeli forces that indiscriminately target men, women and children.
“Gaza has become a graveyard of martyr innocents, mostly children of Palestine. Neither homes, hospitals, nor religious sanctuaries, whether Muslim or Christian, are safe from Israel’s indiscriminate attacks.
“The political class of western nations exhibits a selective myopia towards the turmoil in Palestine.”
He said a sea change in global awareness has taken root, as shown in mass demonstrations, including in the Western world, in support of Palestine.
“Ironically, in these capitals that herald free speech and human rights as sacrosanct, some authorities have denounced proponents of the Palestinian cause, maligning them as purveyors of hate speech and supporters of terrorism.
“This is perverse double standards writ large,” he said. – Bernama, November 12, 2023.
