Palestine Urges Sanctions, Arms Embargo On Israel

By Wan Muhammad Aslah Wan Razali

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (NNN) -- The international community must move beyond statements of condemnation and take concrete measures, including imposing sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, said the State of Palestine's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Dr Omar Awadallah.

He said such measures were necessary to halt the genocide in Gaza, deter the expansion of illegal settlements and annexation in the West Bank and stop settler violence against Palestinians.

“We are talking about sanctions not because we are a fan of sanctions, but because we are now facing a rogue state, a state that is above international law,” he said in a virtual interview on Bernama TV's Bernama World programme titled“Palestine Beyond The Headlines: The Push For Statehood” on Thursday.

Omar said an arms embargo would prevent Israel from using weapons supplied by other countries to kill Palestinians, while sanctions targeting settlements, settlement products and financial institutions could help end the illegal settlement enterprise.

“Sanctions are not something the Palestinians are asking for out of luxury. We are asking out of necessity and because of the international community's obligation to act,” he said.

He also called for greater international support for the Palestinian government and its budget to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian society amid a prolonged financial crisis.

Omar said the government's inability to pay salaries to security personnel, healthcare workers, teachers and other public employees had severely affected essential services, including healthcare, education, social protection, water and sanitation.

He said the lack of financial resources had also prevented the government from repairing damaged infrastructure and rebuilding affected institutions, while unemployment remained high and development had effectively stalled.

According to the deputy minister, the situation was intended to weaken the Palestinian government and create desperation among Palestinians, potentially forcing them to leave their homeland.

On Palestine's priorities at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), he said the international community should take“positive and irreversible steps”, including recognising the State of Palestine and supporting its full membership in the United Nations (UN).

Palestine would also seek stronger accountability measures against Israel, greater support for the New York Declaration as a roadmap towards implementing the two-state solution and international efforts to end the Israeli occupation, he said.

Omar said the ultimate objective was to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state and reunify Palestinians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and Gaza.

He also urged the international community to protect the work of United Nations agencies operating in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which he said was facing mounting attacks.

Omar welcomed measures taken by Malaysia and other countries against illegal Israeli settlements, stressing that practical action was essential to deter further violence and territorial expansion.

“Without action, Israel will be encouraged more and more to kill more people, seize more territory and attack our demography,” he said.

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