Brunei strongly condemns Gaza violence, calls for peace

This image grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows Palestinians checking the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, on November 1, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in an unprecedented attack triggering a war declared by Israel on Hamas with retaliatory bombings on Gaza. - Photo by AFP

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/ANN): In a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Brunei has strongly condemned the ongoing violence in Gaza, particularly the recent bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp, which has resulted in a heavy toll with civilian casualties, including women, children, and the elderly.

Brunei is calling on all parties involved to adhere to international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law, the United Nations (UN) Charter, and relevant UN resolutions.

Brunei also welcomes the adoption of the resolution on the “Protection of Civilians and Upholding Legal and Humanitarian Obligations” during the resumed Tenth Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the “Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the Rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, on 27 October 2023.

The resolution, strongly supported by a majority of the international community, calls for an immediate, durable, and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities, and is a clear recognition by the international community of the catastrophic humanitarian situation that is continuing to worsen due to the Occupying Power’s aggression in Gaza. “We therefore urge the parties concerned to respect and uphold this resolution and ensure its implementation.”

Brunei voted in support of the resolution, and co-sponsored its tabling, in line with the sultanate’s resolute commitment in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle for peace, freedom, and their inalienable rights to self-determination.

“We also reiterate our support for all international efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, and call on the UN Security Council to fulfil its primary responsibility in accordance with the UN Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security and to take more decisive action in leading these efforts,” the statement further said.

The statement also reaffirmed Brunei’s long-standing and principled position on the two-state solution towards the creation of an independent State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN