PETALING JAYA (Selangor, Malaysia), Feb 21 (Bernama) — South Africa regards Malaysia as a key ally in advocating for Palestinian rights and self-determination, according to South Africa’s High Commissioner to Malaysia David E. Malcomson.
“From the time Malaysia supported our (South Africa’s) own liberation struggle, when we achieved our feeedom we understood that Malaysia will always stand with us on the Palestinian issue.
“And that have been done all the decade since then,” he told Bernama when met after Roundtable discussion on South Africa’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) Initiative and Its Implication on Tel Aviv at International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia here Tuesday.
Asked if he hopes Malaysia will be consistent in supporting South Africa he replied: “I know Malaysia will be consistent in this issue, I don’t have to hope.”
BERNAMA earlier yesterday reported that Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan is in the Hague, the Netherlands, to participate in the public hearings on the request for the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem.
He is scheduled to deliver Malaysia’s oral submission at the Peace Palace in the Hague on Feb 22 at about 5.10 pm local time (about 12.10 midnight Feb 23 in Malaysia).
“Malaysia is participating in this Advisory Opinion procedure with the aim of assisting the ICJ in the examination of the legal questions put to it by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA),” he said in a statement.
Mohamad said the request for the Advisory Opinion emanates from UNGA’s Resolution 77/247 adopted on Dec 30, 2022, where Malaysia co-sponsored and voted in favour of the resolution.
The Advisory Opinion is a separate procedure from the application by South Africa to institute proceedings against Israel filed before the ICJ on Dec 29, 2023, he said.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since Oct 7 killing over 29,000 people and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities leading to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
— BERNAMA
