Anwar Ibrahim in the front line against Israel at the UN

​The Malaysian premier has announced that he intends to submit a draft resolution to the General Assembly calling for Israel's expulsion in connection with the ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees voted by the Knesset. Cooperation with Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to continue delivering aid to Gaza.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) - Malaysia is working on a draft resolution to be submitted to the UN General Assembly calling for Israel's expulsion from the international body in connection with the ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from carrying out humanitarian work in the war-affected regions, voted last week by the Jewish state. This was announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in a speech at the Dewan Rakyat (the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur), confirming the intention to keep Malaysia at the forefront of the political confrontation over the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon.

Anwar Ibrahim explained that an advisory opinion has been requested from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel's obligation to allow UN activities and presence in Palestine. The draft resolution is expected to be submitted to the UN General Assembly shortly, with the aim of providing a legal basis for UNRWA to continue providing basic services to over six million Palestinian refugees.

‘UNRWA has been the main lifeline for channelling international aid to the Palestinian people for 75 years. Malaysia fully supports the decisive role of this agency and our cooperation will continue to be strengthened,’ Ibrahim said. ‘We have received the appreciation of UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini,’ he added, ’who conveyed this to Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan during the previous UN session, asking to strengthen this cooperation.

He also said he had received an invitation from King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to attend the emergency Arab-Islamic summit on 11 November to address the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Malaysian prime minister pointed out that it has been a year since Israel began its attack on Gaza and cited figures that, as of 1 November, the conflict in the region had claimed the lives of 43,204 Palestinians, including 16,500 children. ‘On average, 118 Palestinians have been killed and 277 injured every day since October 2023,’ he commented.

Regarding the continuation of Malaysia's humanitarian missions for the Palestinian population, the Prime Minister said Malaysia will have to rely on the governments of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to ensure that aid can be delivered to the people in the area. ‘I will discuss with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on 10 November to express our gratitude because Egypt has provided a special route for Malaysia's humanitarian aid at the Rafah crossing, which is blocked by Israel,’ he said.