Malaysian NGOs slam New York Declaration on Gaza, call for sanctions against Israel, end to ongoing injustice

We, the Malaysian NGOs listed below, refer to the declaration issued by some countries in New York on 29 July regarding the effort to end the war in Gaza.

Among other things, the declaration said:

Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State.

We are disappointed with the declaration because it fails to address the core issues about the ongoing injustice towards Palestinians, namely:

The failure of the international community to ensure Israeli compliance with international law is the root cause of the problem. It is also the main reason why Palestinians chose to support Hamas in Gaza and support its ongoing resistance efforts.

We reiterate that any proposed solution that does not stop Israeli impunity and ignores the legitimate rights of the Palestinians to self-determination will not achieve long-term peace in Palestine.

We call on the international community to end Israeli impunity, especially its ongoing crimes of genocide in Gaza, by immediately imposing diplomatic and economic sanctions on it.

We call upon the Malaysian government to continue to urge more countries to join the Hague Group’s joint Bogota Declaration on Palestine, issued on 16 July.