Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, during the 8th Extraordinary Islamic Summit of the OIC in Riyadh, called for an immediate ceasefire and expedited humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression in Palestine. Anwar stressed the need for tangible results and concrete action from the summit, urging OIC members to strategically employ diplomatic channels and networks to achieve these goals.
The meeting, hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre. Anwar highlighted the devastating impact of the Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza, which have resulted in the deaths of over 11,000 Palestinians, including a majority of women and children, and left thousands more unaccounted for.
An international human rights organization reported that Israel’s intense bombing in Gaza has reached a staggering 25,000 tonnes of explosives, equivalent to two nuclear bombs.
Furthermore, Anwar urged for an immediate cessation of Israeli settlement activity and settler violence in the West Bank, as well as the investigation and prosecution of breaches of international law, including war crimes, through international institutions.
The Prime Minister expressed Malaysia’s support for the Arab Peace Initiative and negotiations for a two-state solution with the recognition of an independent state of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Anwar also called for an end to forced displacements of civilians and urged OIC member countries to combat the global rise of Islamophobia while safeguarding the right to peaceful expressions of support for the Palestinian cause.
He described the Israeli forces’ actions in Gaza as “barbaric cruelties and genocide”, indiscriminately targeting men, women, and children, and turning Gaza into a “graveyard of martyred innocents”. Anwar criticized the selective myopia of the western political class towards the turmoil in Palestine and noted the growing global demonstrations in support of Palestine.
Anwar commended the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for convening the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit and expressed gratitude to President Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt for facilitating humanitarian aid. The summit concluded with Anwar’s call for unity and action among OIC member countries to address the ongoing crisis in Palestine.
