Malaysia will not keep quiet over Israeli's oppression of the Palestinians, says Dr M
THE STAR
Saturday, 08 Feb 202012:59 PM MYT
By Zakiah Koya
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Malaysia will not keep quiet on the oppression of the Palestinians by Israel.
"We are duty-bound and this responsibility is further amplified when powerful nations that had styled themselves as the defender of justice and freedom choose to be silent while the atrocities are being committed.
"In other words, if we too choose to be silent, the blood from the murders and killings of the Palestinians by the Israelis is on our hands as well," said Dr Mahathir.
He said this while officiating the third annual conference of the League of Parliamentarians for al Quds at a hotel here, attended by parliamentarians from all over the world in support of Palestinians.
Dr Mahathir said platforms such as The League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliamentary Blocs and others, can be more effective if they were to strategise and coordinate their efforts.
"As recent as Jan 7,2020, Israel has approved the construction of nearly 2,000 new settler homes on Palestinian territories, as mentioned by Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group. Never in the history of nations have countries built settlements in other countries and claim the right to own them.
"This is a form of conquest based on the strength of a bully.
"According to prisoners' rights group Addameer, more than 12,000 Palestinian children have been detained by the Israeli army since the year 2000 and serving time in the same detention facilities as adult Palestinian prisoners.
"Humanitarian groups such as Unicef have long documented Israeli violations against Palestinian children, who are prosecuted in Israeli military courts.
"It is clear that these detainees are being used by Israel to exchange for Israeli soldiers captured during incidents.
"For all these, Israel should be condemned and punished. Instead powerful countries like the US which talk so much about freedom and the rule of law choose to legalise the illegal. This President Trump has legalised the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem as 'the deal of the century'.
Dr Mahathir said the deal is a one-sided arrangement hatched by the US and Israel without consulting the Palestinians that spikes any attempts to bring peace or justice to Palestine.
"This 'peace plan' acknowledges only the powerful occupier while completely ignoring the rights of the oppressed.
"The deal will never result in a contiguous sovereign Palestinian state, on the contrary, it will only further the domination of an apartheid-like occupation over millions of Palestinians. The last time this happened was when Germany occupied Danzig and Sudetenland.
"To make things worse, the 'deal of the century' hands over the holy city of Jerusalem on a silver platter to the Israeli side; in absolute disregard for the feelings of millions of Muslims and Christians worldwide.
"Malaysia finds the proposal utterly unacceptable and is grossly unjust. It is truly disappointing that after more than seven decades, only one side of the Two-State Solution has come into form – Israel - while the Palestinian people are still left struggling for justice, peace, and a sovereign state of their own," said Dr Mahathir.
