Envoy: We value the love and support Malaysians have shown

KUALA LUMPUR: Palestine values the strong support of Malaysia as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas enters its fourth day, says its top diplomat here.

Palestinian Ambassador Walid Abu Ali (pic) said Malaysia will continue to have a key role to play in the effort to find a comprehensive peace agreement to the decades-long conflict.

He said his people looked forward to Putrajaya’s backing on Thursday when the UN Human Rights Council holds a special session in Geneva to discuss the grave human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“The ceasefire does not end the conflict and sufferings of Palestinians. We still need Malaysia’s influential leadership and expertise to help find a permanent resolution and bring peace to Gaza and the West Bank.

“We must return to the negotiating table on a two-state settlement based on the territorial lines before the 1967 war, ” he said when contacted.

The ceasefire between Israel and the Palestine in the Gaza Strip came into effect on Friday, bringing to an end 11 days of fighting in which more than 250 people were killed, most of them in Gaza. It was the worst fighting between both sides since 2014.

Walid said his people and the government greatly appreciated the love and support shown by all Malaysians during the escalation of violence by Israel.

“I have shared everything with my government and also the Palestinian media. We have witnessed the resolve of the Malaysian government and people in standing by the Palestinians during our latest hour of need, ” he added.

The envoy said the joint statement by the leaders of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei in condemning the escalation of violence by Israel in targeting civilians throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory played a big role in getting the international community to focus on the atrocities in Gaza.

“I especially like to thank Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for his leadership, and also for the strong views of Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

“In Malaysia, we have the support of all, irrespective of political affiliation. Not forgetting the NGOs, ” he said.

Walid said the pressure applied by Malaysia on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had also paid off, adding that this led to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) convening an emergency gathering on Thursday to debate the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Hishammuddin had said that the UNGA meet was also due to the insistence of Muhyiddin, Indonesian president Joko Widodo and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

In their joint statement issued on May 16, the three leaders said all must remain resolute in the commitment to safeguarding the two-state solution towards achieving an independent State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.