PUTRAJAYA (Bernama): Malaysia strongly condemns Israel’s recent decision to construct more than 3,000 new settlement units in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, says the Foreign Ministry.

       Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (pic) in a statement on Friday (Oct 29) said the continued expansion of the illegal settlements clearly involved confiscation of more and more land and property that rightfully belong to the Palestinians.

       "This is a flagrant violation of international law under the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of Aug 12, 1949 as well as the United Nations Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 2334 (2016).

       "Malaysia calls upon members of the international community to exert pressure on Israel to cease all illegal settlement activities and violation of human rights of the Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including by ensuring that their business enterprises are not involved in such illegal activities,” he said.

       Saifuddin stressed that Israel must be held accountable for its apartheid policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including forceful evictions and demolition of homes, which deprive the Palestinian people of their inalienable rights in their homeland.

       Israel’s intransigence has been a major obstacle to finding a just, lasting and comprehensive peaceful resolution to the Palestine-Israel conflict, he added.

       Saifuddin also reaffirmed Malaysia’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, and will continue to pursue actively the agenda towards realising the Palestinian peoples’ aspiration for freedom and their independent state of Palestine.- Bernama