Malaysia demands UN protection for Occupied Palestinian Territory

Malaysia demands for United Nations (UN) and international protection for the Occupied Palestinian Territory to prevent continuing massacres and gross violations of human rights.

Malaysia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Datuk Ramlan Ibrahim said such UN protection would also benefit the Israelis by addressing their security concerns.

"The call for UN protection, in line with international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, would ensure accountability for all parties to the conflict.

"It would enforce or monitor adherence to international law, international human rights law, and various General Assembly and Security Council resolutions to maintain peace and security in the occupied territory," he said in his statement at the Security Council Emergency Meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, in New York on Friday.

The statement was made available here today.

Ramlan said such protection had numerous precedents in UN history, including in the conflicts in Kosovo, East Timor, Lebanon, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and even in Palestine itself.

"The Council must not delay discussions on the proposal and Malaysia looks forward to working closely with the UN Secretary-General and other Council members in this regard.

"In calling for UN protection to address the current crisis, we must not lose sight of the long-term need for a final comprehensive solution to the conflict," he added.

Ramlan said 70 years after the failure to grant self-determination to the Palestinian people, the international community had lost any pretext for a legitimate excuse to further perpetuate Israel's occupation.

He said delays to address the root cause of the conflict attributed to looming elections, ineffectual Quartet meetings, and half-hearted bilateral initiatives began to appear as façades to prolonged occupation and to deny justice, dignity and freedom for the Palestinian people.

"The Council also needs to act urgently in view of the deteriorating situation on the ground to address the root cause of the conflict and to finally put an end to the longest occupation in modern history.

"If we continue to turn a blind eye to the problem, there is no doubt that we will pay a much higher price in the future, which will not be in the long-term interest of Palestine, Israel and the world," he said.