KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — Malaysia has reiterated its disappointment over United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) inability to come up with a unified position to halt Israel’s violence against Palestinians, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said.

"This is the third session of the UNSC this week and yet, not a single statement has been released on the current situation in Palestine,” he said in a statement today.

In the absence of the Security Council’s unified action, he said Malaysia in line with a joint call with Brunei and Indonesia also urged the General Assembly to convene a Special Session to immediately end the hostilities.

"The UN must force Israel to comply with all obligations by international law as well as the UN Charter,” he added.

He said during the UNSC open Video TeleConference (VTC) debate on the situation in the Middle East yesterday, Malaysia had urged the UNSC to exercise its primary responsibility of maintaining peace and security in the region.

Malaysia also wants UNSC to make full use of available tools to avoid an escalation of violence and to prevent further loss of life in Palestine.

Malaysia had also highlighted three key points at the UNSC VTC, first the Security Council must act immediately, and fulfil its duties under the United Nations (UN) Charter.

Second, Malaysia urged the Security Council to speak with one voice, and act swiftly and decisively to respond to the series of Israeli aggressions.

Third, Malaysia also called on the Security Council to revisit the recommendation contained in the Secretary-General’s report in 2018, A/ES-10/794, on the deployment of UN-mandated armed forces or unarmed observers to improve the protection of Palestinians.

Hishammuddin said Malaysia will never recognise any blatant seizures of Palestinian land by Israel for their illegal settlements, adding that Malaysia also condemns in the strongest terms all forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes, including those in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem.

"Once again, Malaysia condemns in the strongest terms the incursion, indiscriminate and escalating attacks by the Israeli Occupation Forces and Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said.

The death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip on Sunday rose to 197, including 58 children and 34 women, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The number of injured has reached 1,235, while many buildings have been destroyed or damaged.  

 The recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem in the holy month of Ramadan and spread to Gaza after Palestinian fighters there vowed to retaliate against Israeli assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah if they were not halted.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community. — Bernama