The Malaysian Insider

UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi moved a motion, jointly backed by Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR), in Parliament today calling for the United Nations to establish an international tribunal to prosecute Israel for war crimes against Gaza.

He also urged the United Nations to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza and station a peacekeeping force to enforce it. Israel ignored a UN security council resolution made on January 9th to observe a ceasefire. "The attacks by Israel are the worst perpetrated by Israel since it occupied the territory in 1967. Many children have been killed by sniper fire."

Israel is conducting a military offensive against Hamas, which had been firing rockets into southern Israel in December.

The resolutions will be sent to the relevant legislative assemblies and parliaments in the United States, Great Britain and the European Union.

The US also came under fire for its traditionally supportive stance toward for Israel.

In a show of solidarity to the Palestinian cause, opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim gave his full support to the motion.

The PKR de facto chief said that it was obvious the United Nations was not effective as a political solution to the conflict.

As such, he called on the prime minister to negotiate with other Islamic nations in the region such as Indonesia and Brunei to do something meaningful so as to encourage Arab leaders to do more than just "have to beg for mercy."

"Decades have passed and this will only result in repeated catastrophes," he said of the United Nations' attempts at solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said that "shoes alone cannot fight Tomahawk missiles," referring to the gesture of contempt by protesters.

Stating that this is all "the man on the street can do" he called on political leaders to "go down to the streets as one barisan (front) and one pakatan (alliance)."

"We must take action against these criminals not just in Parliament but in our our own individual capacities," he said.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng also supported the motion but clarified that the party was not against Americans but their government and president George Bush.

"We hope that Obama will fulfill the aspirations of the world for a fair and humanitarian foreign policy towards Palestinians," he said.

He added that he hoped that Malaysia would not give up hope of convincing Hamas to take part in the peace efforts to end the bloodshed.

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat also slammed the ineffectiveness of the United Nations in addressing the conflict despite representing the global community.

"It has not stopped the cruelty of the Israeli regime," he said.

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