Malaysia reiterates call for immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia has reiterated its call for an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza, stressing that Israel must be held accountable for the relentless bloodshed and widespread destruction in the besieged enclave.

Delivering the country’s statement at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, Malaysia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin told the high level session that those that choose the senseless bloodshed to continue are complicit in Israel’s atrocities.

"The very least that we can do is to ensure that the Council lives up to its mandate. Silence, inaction and preferential treatment from this Council imply complicity too!” he said.

Mohamad shared witnessing of a grim picture of the situation, noting that Israel has bombed Gaza to a complete destruction while the situation in Rafah is equally disastrous.

"I was there on Feb 23 and personally witnessed heart-wrenching humanitarian devastation at the Rafah-Gaza border. Victims are merely surviving, in what seems to be an endless nightmare,” he said.

Mohamad affirmed that Malaysia will stand with the oppressed and castigate atrocities while advocate for peace and the well-being of all mankind.

"Malaysia will not relent until justice is served, impunity is abolished and Palestine assumes its rightful seat as a full-fledged Member State of the United Nations,” he added.

Further addressing the council, the deputy minister said Malaysia continues to be appalled by the legitimisation of offensive, disrespectful, and provocative actions, including the repeated burnings of the Holy Quran that continue to fuel hatred and violence against Muslims and religious minorities.

These actions, he added, are deadly manifestation of Islamophobic acts, which has dangerously risen to "epidemic proportions”.

"The appointment of a UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, as a complementary mechanism to address this scourge, is more urgent than ever and rightly deserves this Council’s endorsement,” he said.

Mohamad also highlighted to the Council that Malaysia currently hosts the largest number of Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers in Southeast Asia - 186,000 to date.

"However, we are disappointed that criticism and scrutiny seem to have taken precedence over genuine cooperation in burden-and-responsibility sharing.

"To address this challenge, we reiterate our call for the international community to assist Malaysia in resettling them to a third country, expeditiously,” he said. - BERNAMA