Malaysia calls on countries to cut ties with Israel

0 Comments | Asian Political News, August 14, 2006

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, Aug. 10 Kyodo

Malaysia on Thursday called on all nations, especially Middle Eastern ones, to cut diplomatic ties with Israel over its ''illegal war'' in Lebanon.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar made the call after Venezuela, which is among the 161 countries with which Israel has diplomatic relations, said it is likely to sever those ties in protest over Israel's invasion of Lebanon that began July 12.

''Definitely the view of the international community is Israel has breached international law,'' he told reporters, ''If that is so, it is only proper for countries that have got diplomatic relations to cut ties with Israel, I think, especially countries in the Middle East.''

Muslim-majority Malaysia, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, a position which is shared by most Arab states and some non-Arab Muslim states, including Malaysia's neighbors Brunei and Indonesia.

Among Arab countries in the Middle East, only Egypt and Jordan have full diplomatic ties with the Jewish state, as does Turkey to the north, while Qatar has trade relations with it.

Israel is carrying out its biggest military campaign in Lebanon since 1982 in retaliation for Hezbollah's firing of rockets into Israel and the abduction of two Israeli soldiers on July 12 in a cross-border raid that left eight other Israeli soldiers dead.

Israel's Lebanon offensive coincided with an Israeli military push into the Gaza Strip to try to recover a soldier captured by Palestinian militants on June 25.

Malaysia last week chaired an emergency summit meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world's largest Muslim bloc, which called for the immediate cease-fire in Lebanon.

But with the war now entering its fourth week, Israel, instead of heeding international calls for a cease-fire, has expanded its land offensive.

The U.N. Security Council, meanwhile, is still wrangling over a resolution to put an end to the violence. The United States and France are in disagreement over Lebanon's demand for Israel's immediate withdrawal.

''This is one incident in history where the world seems to have closed its eyes as well as desires to take any action, as if the lives of Muslims or the Arabs or the Lebanese are not as important as others,'' Syed Hamid said.