IT is that time of the year again for diplomacy in New York City. The United Nations General Assembly (Unga), one of the world’s key diplomatic events where leaders address global issues, began its 80th session earlier this month.
“Some call this the World Cup of diplomacy. But this cannot be about scoring points – it must be about solving problems. There is too much at stake,” he said at the start of Unga, which takes place annually in September.
One of the highlights on the ongoing assembly will be tomorrow’s High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co- chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
This follows the endorsement earlier this month of the New York Declaration, the international community’s collective effort to lay out a roadmap to deliver the two-state solution involving an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held there, and the establishment of a Palestinian state that is both viable and sovereign.
The roadmap further calls for the disarmament of Palestinian group Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza, and normalisation of ties between Israel and Arab countries, as well as collective security guarantees.
On Sept 12, the assembly voted overwhelmingly to endorse the declaration. Malaysia was one of the 142 member states that voted in favour despite our government’s initial cautious stand.
Before leaving for Unga in New York, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan told a local newspaper that Palestine recognition must be viewed as a vital step towards ending Israel’s illegal occupation policies.
He stressed that any resolution must guarantee Palestine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the right of return for millions of refugees, all of which are protected under international law, and must form part of a durable and effective solution.
For the record, Malaysia has recognised the state of Palestine since 1988. The conference this week takes place amid a significant change of position on Palestine by some countries, with Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom expected to declare their own recognition.
It is a big shift because these countries had previously insisted that recognition was dependent on Palestine and Israel negotiating the creation of the two states. But the present situation on the ground has changed their stance – more countries are realising that the two-state solution with Israeli input is becoming highly unrealistic.
“They feel that to save the two-state solution, they have to recognise Palestine now because of what Israel is doing on the ground. This is a very positive step towards the full realisation of the self-determination of the Palestinian people in a fully sovereign and independent state,” said an observer.
Former Foreign minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar feels that the New York Declaration does not offer anything new.
“This two-state solution is not new. It has been on the table since the 1967 [Arab-Israeli] war. This has been marketed, bandied around, and yet no state has condemned Israeli occupation and the building of illegal settlements.
“When we talked of the two states, for the state of Israel there was no definition of their borders and they kept on expanding,” he said.
The declaration, he said, is short on implementation, and instead of naming any parties to govern Palestine, should call for new leadership that is acceptable to and decided on by Palestinians to form a state that can live side by side with Israel.
“While the change in stance by some countries is much welcomed, the pressure must continue until it is possible to see the birth of a Palestine state. Do Palestinians have to wait for another 70 years?
“Everyone is just playing with words. Maybe the recognition by some of these governments is just to satisfy their conscience after mass protest movements in their own countries,” he added.
The former Cabinet minister, now a self-described political and social activist, said while the declaration can provide a ray of hope in terms of action, he doubts its effectiveness.
On Thursday, despite the approval of 14 out of 15 UN Security Council members, the United States vetoed a crucial resolution demanding an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties”, the release of all captives held by Hamas and other groups, and a lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In reaction, Wisma Putra issued a statement saying Malaysia is deeply concerned by the veto, which would only embolden the Zionist Israel regime to continue its crimes of genocide and destruction in Gaza – which Malaysia condemned in the strongest and most unequivocal terms.
Syed Hamid said the UN has been paralysed by the veto power of the five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, and the UK in addition to the US – and their total disregard for the UN charter or resolutions agreed to by the rest of the council’s members.
“There is a need to think of some mechanism that can give meaning to secure peace and security. There is nobody who can guarantee putting a stop to the carnage,” said Syed Hamid.
“This is a very clear example of terrorism of the highest order, war crimes committed in the name of self-defence. You still talk about hostages but you don’t talk of the tens of thousand of Palestinians being murdered.
“It is as if these people have a licence to kill,” he added.
Even as more countries stand up to recognise the Palestine state this week, the Zionist regime continues to commit genocide in Gaza. And still Israel has not been expelled or even suspended from the UN.
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