NATIONAL STATEMENT
BY THE HONOURABLE DATO’ SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM
PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA
AT THE JOINT ARAB ISLAMIC EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
11 NOVEMBER 2023
Your Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al-Saud,
Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Your Majesties, Excellencies,
May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon you.
1. There are moments in history that shake us to our core and challenge our collective conscience. Moments that compel us to ask if our humanity still flickers; if we have the courage and wisdom to act. Such a moment has come with an ongoing Israeli onslaught on Palestine. Such a moment is now.
2. I therefore applaud the initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to convene thisExtraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit. And I commend Your Highness for settingthe tone of unequivocal support for the Palestinians cause and for your condemnation of the colonisation and atrocities committed by Israel. I wish to also thank President Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt for facilitating the humanitarian aid.
3. For over a month, the besieged people of Gaza have been subjected to the barbaric cruelties and genocide by the Israeli forces, indiscriminately targeting men, women and children alike. Gaza has become a graveyard of martyr innocents, mostly children of Palestine. Neither homes, hospitals, nor religious sanctuaries, Muslim or Christian, are safe from Israel’s indiscriminate attacks.
4. This continuation of the politics of dispossession of the Palestinians is not taking place in the dead of the night; it is being perpetrated in full view of the world in a flagrant breach of international law.
5. The political class of western nationsexhibit a selective myopia toward the turmoil in Palestine. Yet, we salute the collective and the awakening conscience of their people. A sea change inawareness has taken root, as shown in mass demonstrations of unprecedented proportion throughout the world, including the western world, in support of Palestine.
6. Ironically, in these capitals that herald free speech and human rights as sacrosanct rights, some authorities have denounced proponents of the Palestinian cause, maligning them as purveyors of hate speech and supporters of terrorism. This is perverse double standards writ large.
7. In this pivotal moment, Arabs and Muslims collective voice is crucial. We stand stronger when we champion a shared purpose and freedom of all people. Believe me, the ummah and the international community expect tangible actions.
8. With due humility, I call upon each of us to strategically employ our diplomatic channels and networks. In every dialogue and on every stage – be it bilateral or multilateral, regional or international – let us consistently and assertively call for thefollowing in a concerted diplomatic campaign:
• Institute an immediate ceasefire; increase and expedite humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.
• halt all Israeli settlement activity and settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
• immediately cease the forced displacement of civilians.
• investigate and prosecute all breaches of international law, including war crimes, through international judicial institutions.
• support the Arab Peace Initiative and facilitate negotiations with reputable mediators to advance the Two-State Solution (with a recognition of an independent State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital); and
• combat the global rise in Islamophobia while safeguarding the right to peaceful expressions of support for the Palestinian cause.
9. It is imperative that we unite our voices in chorus so that our message stands a much greater chance of resonating and being heard.
10. In closing, allow me to reaffirm Malaysia's ironclad commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Thank you.
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