Anwar urges countries to sanction and sever ties with Israel

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said mere condemnations and declarations are no longer sufficient to stop Israel’s brutality against the Palestinian people.

"Condemnations will not stop the missiles. Declarations will not free Palestine. Severe punitive actions must be put in place.

"Diplomatic engagements must cease and so must trade relations," he said this at the at the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha, Qatar on Monday.

Anwar added that the international community had grown weary of repeated condemnations and declarations issued while Israel continued its actions with impunity.

Israel’s military campaign has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, with strikes also spreading to neighbouring areas.

Tensions spiked further last week when Israel launched an airstrike in Doha, targeting Hamas members, which killed several Hamas figures and a Qatari officer.

The strike on Doha prompted an Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Qatar, bringing together leaders of the Arab League and the OIC.

Anwar described Israel’s air strikes on Doha as an outright act of sabotage against peace efforts and a provocative move that cannot be tolerated.

He said the attack was inhumane, a violation of international law, and a threat to regional security.

"To rain bombs on the capital of a sovereign state is lawless, barbaric and indefensible.

"It was an assault on Qatar’s sovereignty, a violation of international law, and a reckless provocation that endangers the security of the region," he said.

Anwar further described Gaza as being relentlessly destroyed before the world’s eyes, with the suffering of its people growing more unbearable by the day.

He said Israel had openly vowed to block the creation of a Palestinian state, calling it a clear form of apartheid.

"This is a declaration of permanent apartheid. It is a repudiation of every UN resolution and the right of self-determination."