Kuala lumpur: 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.
According to Nam News Network, Omar emphasized that 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. He articulated that the call for sanctions was not driven by preference but by the pressing need to address what he described as a rogue state operating above international law. In a virtual interview on Bernama TV's Bernama World programme titled "Palestine Beyond The Headlines: The Push For Statehood," he highlighted the urgent need for international action.
Omar explained that an arms embargo would prevent Israel from using weapons supplied by other countries to harm Palestinians, while sanctions on settlements, settlement products, and financial institutions could help end the illegal settlement enterprise. He asserted that Palestinians were seeking sanctions out of necessity and due to the international community's obligation to act.
Additionally, Omar called for greater international support for the Palestinian government and its budget to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian society amid a prolonged financial crisis. 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 further noted that financial constraints had hindered the government's ability to repair damaged infrastructure and rebuild affected institutions, with unemployment remaining high and development stalled. Omar suggested that the situation was designed 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), Omar stated that the international community should take positive and irreversible steps, including recognizing 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.
Omar stated that the ultimate objective was to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state and reunify Palestinians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and Gaza. He 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, he warned, Israel would be encouraged to continue its aggressive policies, seizing more territory and further disrupting the Palestinian demography.