KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on world leaders at the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit to unite in suspending or expelling Israel from the United Nations.
In his national statement at the summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Anwar called for a strong international response to what he described as Israel's "barbaric" actions against the Palestinians.
"The severity of Israel's assault on humanity's most basic rules of the international compact deserves consideration of a more serious response.
"For the sake of not only the Palestinians but of humanity itself, we must punish and deter Israel's repeated violations of international law and norms.
"We should, therefore, build a consensus towards suspending or even expelling Israel from the United Nations itself," he said.
Anwar also condemned Israel's actions targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
"By barring UNRWA from operating, Israel is causing the collapse of the world's humanitarian response, cutting off the most basic means of survival in Gaza for those who have already lost so much.
"We must put an end to this continued senseless carnage and take immediate steps to furnish more effective protection for the UNRWA.
"Similarly, we must accord better protection for the UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, comprising nearly 50 nations, including Malaysia – who have been attacked and terrorised by Israeli forces."
Anwar likened Israel's current treatment of Palestinians to apartheid-era South Africa, recalling how the United Nations General Assembly took the unprecedented step of denying South Africa a seat in protest of its policies.
"Israel, however, has gone beyond the pale, beyond reason, beyond humanity itself in its vile and blatant perpetration of the genocide of the people of Palestine," he added.
Anwar also called for a renewed commitment to reconstruction efforts in Gaza, stressing the urgency of providing relief and stability to affected communities.
He again urged for global unity and compassion, calling for leaders to rise above politics and work toward a peaceful future.
"We must draw a line in the sand, not only as Muslims but as fellow humans, united and bound by our fragile mortality and committed to a simple truth: a wish for a safer, kinder world for our children and the generations to come."