PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called for stronger cooperation between Asean countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to end Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.
Speaking to reporters after performing Aidiladha prayers at Masjid Putra here on Saturday (June 7), the Prime Minister said that regional and international collective efforts were crucial to ending the prolonged conflict and the suffering of the Palestinian people.
"We’ve conveyed our stance (through a Wisma Putra statement), but this cannot be the effort of just one country. As we saw in recent engagements with Gulf nations, there is a shared consensus.
"So Asean, the Gulf states, and a few other countries can come together to provide a clear message and exert strong pressure on the world to put a stop to it (Israel’s brutality),” he said.
He was responding to the United States' use of its veto power on a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Malaysia has expressed deep regret and disappointment over the repeated failure of the UNSC to adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, as well as the removal of restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
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In a statement on Thursday (June 5), the Foreign Ministry stressed that the UNSC's repeated failure to act on one of the worst humanitarian tragedies since World War II, due to the use of veto power, is truly regrettable and deeply disappointing.
Anwar also said that the continued actions of countries supplying arms to Israel are unacceptable and run counter to the principles of international law.
"It's contradictory when they issue statements of condemnation, yet continue to supply or sell weapons to Israel. Such actions violate the principles of international law and humanitarian norms.
"We strongly condemn (the atrocities) and seek diplomatic avenues to support the Palestinian struggle and help them reclaim their legitimate rights, including in Gaza," Anwar said.
Separately, during Aidiladha phone conversations with leaders of other Muslim nations, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Shari, Anwar said each expressed concern over the violence committed by the Zionist regime.
"All of them conveyed a clear stance … and we have agreed to continue consultations to find a resolution to this crisis as soon as possible," he added.- Bernama
