Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Qadir called on the International Court of Justice to fulfill its responsibilities by bringing criminals especially the Israeli officials to justice. He emphasized that if no one comes forward to prosecute them it would set a dangerous precedent that allows criminals to act with impunity everywhere.
In an interview with Al Jazeera-net on Saturday the Malaysian minister defended the United Nations Secretary-General’s position that resolving the Palestinian issue begins with addressing the root causes of the problem and ending Israeli violations in order to achieve a permanent and comprehensive peace.
He reiterated his country’s criticism of the international community for its lack of serious action to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip and its failure to reach a resolution in the Security Council calling for a cessation of military operations.
The Foreign Minister stated that the greatest responsibility lies with the United States which presents itself as a champion of human values and human rights. He added that the priority should be to stop the Israeli aggression put an end to the killing of civilians and deliver humanitarian and medical assistance to the Palestinian people.
He further stated “Malaysia’s position has been clear from day one which is to stand with the Palestinian people and reject Israeli aggression. After three weeks of continuous Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip this position remains unchanged.”
He emphasized that Malaysia’s utmost priority is to end hostilities and killings and that they are working with all countries around the world especially Islamic nations to stop the “madness”. He also mentioned that this is a priority for his country as well as for many other countries.
Regarding humanitarian aid Zambry said that it could be possible through the establishment of a safe passage via the Rafah crossing but this faces difficulties due to Israel’s refusal.
Zambry affirmed that the feelings of all sectors of the Malaysian people regardless of political religious or ethnic affiliations unite around humanitarian principles and the suffering of the people.
He said “I am glad to confirm that all Malaysians including non-Muslims are united because some people may think it is only an Islamic issue but everyone is united in facing the crisis in Gaza.”
He pointed out that it is very unfortunate that the world continues to turn a blind eye and ignore what is happening in Palestine. After three weeks of war people are still being killed every day especially children.
The Malaysian Foreign Minister drew attention to the heart-wrenching sight of civilians under the rubble and he stated that anyone with the slightest human feelings cannot bear to witness these civilians being executed and buried under the ruins of destroyed buildings.
He added that Americans should not “close their eyes to the tragedy for the sake of a particular party’s interests. This is a humanitarian crisis and people are being killed. They should seek a way to solve this problem.”
