Strong condemnation of Isreal's illegal settlements in Palestine

Malaysia strongly condemns Israel’s recent decision to construct more than 3,000 new settlement units in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, the country’s foreign ministry says in a statement today.

“The continued expansion of the illegal settlements clearly involves the confiscation of more and more land and property which rightfully belong to the Palestinians.

“This is a flagrant violation of international law under the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949 as well as the United Nations Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 2334 (2016),” says the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saifuddin Abdullah.

He says Malaysia calls upon members of the international community to exert pressure on Israel to cease all illegal settlements activities and violation of human rights of the Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including by ensuring that their business enterprises are not involved in such illegal activities.

He also says Israel must be held accountable for its apartheid policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including forceful evictions and demolition of homes.

“This deprives the Palestinian people of their inalienable rights in their homeland. Israel’s intransigence continues to be a major obstacle to finding a just, lasting and comprehensive peaceful resolution to the Palestine-Israel conflict.

“Malaysia reaffirms its unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and will continue to pursue actively the agenda towards realizing the Palestinian peoples’ aspiration for freedom and their independent State of Palestine,” he says.