Tehran (ISNA) - Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei condemned Israel’s “inhumane, colonial, and apartheid” policy in the Occupied Territory.
The Muslim-majority nations of Southeast Asia have issued a rare joint statement condemning Israel’s assault on Occupied Palestinian Territory, as fighting between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the militant group Hamas continued into its second week, The Diplomat reported.
In a statement, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and the Sultan of Brunei attacked Israel’s air strikes on Gaza and what they described as its “inhumane, colonial, and apartheid” policy toward the Palestinian people.
“We condemn in the strongest term the repeated blatant violations and aggressions, carried out by the Israelis, targeting civilians throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, which has killed, injured and caused suffering to many, including women and children,” the statement read.
“We reiterate our solidarity with, and commitment to the Palestinian people, including their rights to self-determination, and the creation of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine,” it added. The statement also called for an emergency meeting of the 193-member United Nations General Assembly to address the turmoil in Israel.
The joint statement from the top leaders was backed up by the foreign ministers of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei, who took part in an emergency meeting of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday. The OIC meeting, convened by Saudi Arabia, condemned the Israeli attacks as “barbaric” and said the nation was undertaking “systematic crimes” against Palestinians.
After the meeting, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Twitter: “We must act together now. Justice must prevail for the Palestinian people.”
Washington continues to be an unstinting supporter of Israel’s actions, stating repeatedly that Israel has “a right to defend itself” from attacks by Hamas, but remaining silent about the proportionality of its actions, as well as the question of whether Palestinians, too, enjoy a such a right to self-defense.
For many in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, the staunch U.S. support for Israel’s actions stands as a demonstration of the gap between the rhetoric and reality of the “rules-based international order” that Washington has pledged itself to uphold. In the past, moreover, U.S. support for Israel, and the U.S. role in the Middle East more broadly, have had negative effects on public sentiment towards the U.S., suggesting that this current crisis could undermine American “soft power” in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia.
No comments:
Post a Comment