A non-Muslim Malaysian's defence of the Palestinian struggle

I read with interest the article by Nehru Sathiamoorthy, who claims to speak for all non-Muslim Malaysians on the just and legitimate struggle of the Palestinians for freedom, justice and equality.

The author claims that, unlike Muslims, non-Muslims in Malaysia have neither a very negative view of Israel nor a very positive view of Palestine.

I am a Malaysian non-Muslim. But unlike the author, I do not have the confidence to make sweeping statements about all Malaysian non-Muslims or indeed anyone but myself.

I support the Palestinians' right to self-determination, their struggle for freedom, justice and equality and have therefore participated in Palestinian solidarity actions in Malaysia and other countries.

The author said that if Malaysia is forced to get involved in a war, it should not choose the weaker side against a much stronger side.

He advocates the rule of the jungle, the rule of the strong over the weak, the rule of might over right.

I stand for the opposite. I believe in the rule of law, but more importantly, in the rule of law in the service of justice, in a world where everyone is both protected and bound by the same rules. And of course that should also apply to the Palestinians and the Ukrainians.

As for the question of whether Israel has a right to exist or a right to self-defence, international law scholars such as Francesca Albanese have pointed out that states do not have an intrinsic right to exist under international law, but peoples do.

The rights of the Palestinian people have been repeatedly affirmed in international law, whether by overwhelming majorities in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) or by judgments of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

For example, on Nov 14, UNGA adopted Resolution 49 on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination by 170 votes to six.

The resolution emphasises that the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination, a right that cannot be derogated from — i.e. to live in their independent and sovereign state and to decide on their own political, cultural and economic development, without any control or threat from a foreign party.

Even if we disregard the genocide, mass killings and war crimes against humanity that Israel is committing against the Palestinians in Gaza, which have been documented and confirmed by respected international human rights and medical organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Doctors Without Borders, Israel has repeatedly made it clear that it is opposed to a sovereign Palestinian state in any form.

For example, on July 18, the Knesset voted 68-9  against the establishment of a Palestinian state, even as part of a negotiated settlement.

The author further wrote: “Malaysia should do more to convince Palestine that it is the weaker side and force it to make peace with Israel by accepting whatever terms offered by Israel, as long as the terms are not humiliating to the Palestinian nation and people”.

What kind of peace would he propose that Malaysia or the Malaysian non-Muslims he claims to speak for impose on the Palestinians?

Israel already rejects the two-state solution, as the vote in the Knesset has shown. If the two-state solution that Israel rejects is not feasible, then the alternatives are either a one-state solution where everyone is equal or an apartheid state.

Israel has already been labeled the latter by several international human rights organisations, such as Amnesty International and also by Israeli human rights bodies such as B’TSelem.

In 2018, the people of Gaza, women, youth and children, peacefully protested and pleaded to the world to recognise and support their full rights as human beings. According to Amnesty International, at least 195 Palestinians, including 41 children, were killed and 28,939 were injured by Israeli forces using snipers. At least 122 people, including 21 children, had to have limbs amputated due to their gunshot wounds by Israeli forces.

Is this what should be forced on the Palestinians, where even peaceful protests are met with mass shootings?

What can Malaysians, regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds, do to support the legitimate struggle of the Palestinians? One thing Malaysians can do is to support the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions against Israel (https://bdsmovement.net/call) until Israel honours its obligations under international law.

By this we mean:
a. End the occupation and colonisation of all Arab lands and dismantle the wall
b. Recognising the fundamental rights of Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
c. Respect, protect and promote the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and property as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.

Malaysians should stand up for freedom, justice and equality regardless of their religious or ethnic background.

Dr Roland Loh is a member of the Executive Council of BDS Malaysia.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.