MALAYSIA TO CONTINUE STRONG ADVOCACY FOR PALESTINE ON INTERNATIONAL PLATFORMS - MOHAMAD

PUTRAJAYA, July 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will continue to voice out strongly on all international platforms to end the brutal killings of Palestinians and ensure the ceasefire in Gaza remains intact, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He said it was Malaysia’s hope that the Palestinian people could return to their homeland and that an independent Palestinian state could be established as soon as possible.

"We hope an independent Palestinian state can be established soon and the people can return to their homeland according to the pre-1967 borders. This is the hope of the entire international community for the Gaza issue to be resolved," he told the media after launching the Humanitarian Initiative for Palestine here today.

Mohamad said the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September would be a major platform to voice out and condemn the cruel actions of the Zionist regime against innocent Palestinians.

"We (Malaysia) want the United Nations Security Council resolutions, the interim ruling by the International Court of Justice to be enforced, and the three-phase ceasefire proposal by the United States to be accepted by all parties," he said.

He said there were reports that Hamas had accepted the proposal, but Israel hadn’t, and that the latter continued to find reasons to prolong the war and the brutal killings of Palestinians.

"The international community must understand that I and the government will continue to bring Malaysia's voice to every available platform," he said.

Mohamad added that since the Rafah crossing had been destroyed, the only remaining route for humanitarian aid to Gaza was via the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge, which connected the West Bank with Jordan.

Therefore, he said, any humanitarian aid should ideally be sent through Jordan as it had diplomatic relations with Israel.

Meanwhile, speaking on the Humanitarian Initiative for Palestine, Mohamad said it aimed to publicise the humanitarian efforts undertaken by the government, local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and private companies to help Palestinians, especially those in Gaza suffering from the shortage of food, medical supplies, and basic necessities.

At the event, various initiatives were launched, including collaboration with Touch 'n Go through its e-wallet and the "Mission for One Million Food Packs and Sacrificial Meat to Palestine" programme by Yayasan Budi Ihsan Malaysia.

Mohamad said the total amount in the Palestinian Humanitarian Trust Fund (AAKRP) as of July 3 was RM98.8 million.

He said from the total contributions, RM35 million had been channeled to international organisations under the United Nations, such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Apart from that, he said funds had been channeled to the Ministry of Higher Education for scholarships and living allowances for Palestinian students in Malaysia, local NGOs under Ops Ihsan focusing on livelihood projects, the Red Crescent Society in Jordan, Egypt, and Palestine, and the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Jordan for the annual maintenance of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Approximately RM9 million will be allocated for cancer treatment for Palestinian patients, clean water supply in Gaza, upgrading sanitation and hygiene management, and medical equipment. Part of the AAKRP funds will also be allocated for the rebuilding of Gaza once the conflict subsides.

The AAKRP was established in 2002 under subsection 9 (1) of the Financial Procedure Act 1957 [Act 61] and is managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to collect and coordinate Malaysian humanitarian contributions for the Palestinian people.

-- BERNAMA