Malaysia Urges UN Sanctions On Israel, UN Must Reform To Stay Relevant — Mohamad

From Muhammad Faiz Baharin

NEW YORK, Sept 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has strongly urged the United Nations (UN) to impose sanctions on Israel, stressing that the metastasis of Zionist regime brutality in the Middle East must not be allowed to continue.

Delivering the country’s National Statement at the General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 2025 here on Saturday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Israel’s latest assault on Doha, Qatar, was not merely an attack on a few Hamas representatives but a violation of another state’s sovereignty and an insult to all mediation efforts.

He said the strike signalled that Israel’s violence would continue to destabilise the region, emphasising that the effects of such actions would inevitably spill over to the rest of the world.

“The atrocities may have begun with Palestine, but they certainly will not end with Palestine. As the Middle East grows ever more dangerous for its residents, we will feel the reverberations all over the world.

“This is why simply advocating for a two-state solution is not enough,” he said.

He also reiterated Malaysia’s commitment to support the Palestinian people through any measure, including the New York Declaration.

Mohamad said concrete action must also be taken against the occupying force, while long-term support should be prepared to ensure the development of a self-governing Palestinian state.

“The test that we now face is an existential one. 80 years of the UN, and 77 years of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, if we cannot resolve this, the citizens of the world will lose faith in us and in the international order,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad also reiterated Malaysia’s call for urgent UN reforms, stressing the body must stay relevant in tackling global challenges, especially the long-standing question of Palestine.

He said, Malaysia believes that three urgent reforms are key to UN’s survival including the need to limit, if not abolish, the veto.

“We must challenge it each and every time that it is wielded, particularly in cases of crimes against humanity.

“Authority must flow back to the General Assembly. As the most inclusive body of this house, it should be allowed to serve as the conscience and voice of the world, unimpeded.

“We also  must re-design global financing mechanisms, to ensure transparency and fairness for the Global South,” he said noting that reform is no longer a choice but imperative.

Mohamad also urged the organisation to continue to demand accountability from the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council through Resolution 76/272: the Veto Initiative, citing that repeated failures of the Security Council to fulfil the will of the General Assembly must be met with strong resistance.

“We must pursue results through Resolution 377A: Uniting for Peace. No more shall we quietly accept the dismissal of our collective voice. We must question and challenge the veto. We must free the Security Council from this humiliating paralysis,” he said.

He added that the United Nations must remain a relevant and effective international organisation and a global guardian of peace.

Since Oct 7, 2023, Israel has been carrying out a genocide in Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and led to famine.

-- BERNAMA