Mohamad Hasan says Israel is attempting to derail US-Iran peace efforts, urging stronger international pressure to end conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
PETALING JAYA: Israel is attempting to undermine ongoing peace efforts between the United States and Iran by continuing military attacks in the region despite the existence of a 14-point memorandum of understanding, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said.
He said Malaysia believed there were parties seeking to derail the peace process, citing Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon despite provisions in the agreement calling for a complete withdrawal.
“There are parties who want to derail the peace negotiations between Iran and the United States.
“That is why, although the 14 points in the MoU include total withdrawal, including from Lebanon, Israel continues to attack Lebanon.
“What signal is Israel trying to send to the world? They do not want to see order and peace in this region because they have their own interests,” he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohamad said Malaysia would continue to exert diplomatic pressure on Israel through international platforms such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), BRICS and the United Nations Security Council.
He said sustained international pressure was needed to halt Israeli aggression in Lebanon, stop the atrocities committed against Palestinians in Gaza and end incursions into the occupied West Bank.
“This continuous pressure is Malaysia’s role on the international stage, so that we continue to apply pressure on any platform, whether at the OIC, NAM, BRICS, the United Nations or the UN Security Council,” he said.
Mohamad was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (Tampin-BN) regarding Malaysia’s position on shipping security guarantees in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in the strategic waterway.
He revealed that he had also held discussions with Bangladesh’s Dr Khalilur Rahman, the president-elect of the United Nations General Assembly, who was elected on June 2 and is expected to assume office in September, on strengthening international support to end the conflict in West Asia.
“We must continue to apply pressure with the participation of all parties. If possible, the vote at the General Assembly later should exceed 140 countries.
“If we can achieve that, it will be major pressure on Israel to stop any aggression in Lebanon, stop the atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza and stop incursions into the Palestinian West Bank,” he said.
Mohamad said the suffering of Palestinians had worsened due to Israel’s continued attacks, which he said had destroyed basic infrastructure and claimed civilian lives.
He stressed that Malaysia’s position remained consistent in calling for an end to Israeli attacks and urging the international community to act collectively rather than allow the crisis to continue unchecked.
On humanitarian assistance, Mohamad said the Palestinian People’s Humanitarian Trust Fund, managed by the Foreign Ministry, was administered transparently and was subject to auditing by the Auditor-General.
