KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Malaysia is hoping that the new United States (US) administration can bring a change to the Israel-Palestine conflict, said Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar.

“We are monitoring the political development and changes in US administration especially on Palestine and other matters.

“We are hoping that there will be changes...and we have also read previous statements, which we believe would bring a new light to the Palestine-Israel situation,” he said during Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) on Foreign Ministry’s view on whether Palestine-Israel relations would improve under the new US president-elect Joe Biden.

Democrat Biden, who officially declared victory on Saturday, pledged to be a president who will work to mend the nation’s divisions and “make America respected around the world again”.

Meanwhile, Kamarudin said the Malaysian government was firm on always supporting the establishment of a sovereign Palestine country through the Two-State Solution on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as the capital.

He said the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) secretary-general Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen also reiterated its strong support to Palestine and stressed that the cause of Palestine and Al-Quds was the core issue behind the formation of OIC and also its source of strength and unity.

“In resolving the Palestine issue, he (Al-Othaimeen) also stressed that the OIC strongly holds to the international laws, Arab Peace Initiative and the Two-State Solution. The OIC has always supported the efforts to enable Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate aspiration and rights,” he said.

Kamarudin said this when replying to the original question by Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PAS-Sik) on the government’s proactive collaboration with international organisations such as OIC to oppose the unjust plan of the normalisation of the Israeli state that aims to recognise its occupation of Palestine.

On some OIC countries which have diplomatic relations with Israel, he said it was the absolute right of a sovereign country and the Malaysian government practices a policy of non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries.

“Based on this principle too, it will not affect Malaysia’s good relations with other countries which have diplomatic relations with Israel,” he said. — Bernama