Malaysia seeks Israel’s expulsion from United Nations

Muslim-majority Malaysia has been a vocal critic of Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has led to more than 43,000 deaths

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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivers a speech to the crowd during a ‘Malaysia Stands with Palestine’ rally in Kuala Lumpur last year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:55am, 5 Nov 2024Updated: 2:15pm, 5 Nov 2024

Malaysia will seek the support of Arab nations at an emergency summit next week for a proposal to expel Israel from the United Nations, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told lawmakers, accusing it of violating international law and UN directives in its unrelenting war on Gaza.

More than 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and much of Gaza levelled since Israel launched its war in October last year after a Hamas attack killed 1,200 people on its territory.

On Tuesday, Israel formally terminated a decades-old cooperation deal with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) over accusations it was infiltrated by Hamas operatives, a move widely condemned as destroying the last remaining lifeline for Palestinians.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has been a vocal critic of Israel’s assault on Gaza, banning the entry of Israeli shipping giant Zim while Malaysians have been actively boycotting businesses perceived to be linked to the US, Israel’s principal ally and arms supplier.

Anwar, who has led the outcry, said Malaysia stood firm in its support for the Palestinians to establish their sovereign state, free of the “dispossession, terrorism, cruelty and genocide” committed by Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

“We are also studying [a proposal] … after the violation of laws, principles and UN decisions, for Israel to be expelled as a member of the UN,” Anwar told parliament in a special address on Monday.