MALAYSIA CONDEMNS ISRAEL’S GAZA PLAN AS ETHNIC CLEANSING

KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has unequivocally condemned Israel’s declared plan to establish a “sustained presence” in Gaza and forcibly displace over two million Palestinians, saying the acts amount to ethnic cleansing. 

 In a statement on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said the imposition of military control over humanitarian aid and the systematic displacement of civilians constitute flagrant breaches of international law and exemplify Israel’s persistent defiance of international law.

“The forced removal of populations and deliberate use of starvation as a weapon are war crimes. Malaysia rejects any pretext for expelling Palestinians from Gaza. These acts amount to ethnic cleansing,” the statement read.

The ministry said Israel’s aggression, now extending beyond Palestine, with airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port, Sanaa International Airport, and other sites across the region, highlight a pattern of reckless escalation that endangers all civilian lives and threatens regional stability.

“Such actions reinforce Israel’s status as a serial violator of international law — Israel’s impunity must stop and all perpetrators be brought to justice,” it said.

It also urged the international community through the United Nations to immediately take action, adding that the blockade of Gaza and the targeting of civilians must end without delay.

It reiterated Malaysia’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, sovereign State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

-- BERNAMA