Malaysian civil society writes open letter to Trump on Jerusalem
We strongly condemn your decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Apartheid Israel, and to move the United States embassy there. Your action is in violation of international law and numerous United Nations Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions.
The Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 War (al-Naksah), including East Jerusalem, is considered occupied territory under international law and Israel has no sovereignty over it. Even the United States subscribes to this position with regard to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem.
By UN Security Council Resolution 478 of 20 August 1980, the Council decided not to recognize Israel’s "Basic Law" and called upon those States which had established diplomatic missions in Jerusalem to withdraw such missions from the Holy City. The Resolution was adopted by 14 votes to none, with the United States abstaining.
The UN General Assembly, by Resolution 52/53 of 9 December 1997, determined that the decision of Israel to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem is illegal and therefore null and void and has no validity whatsoever. The Resolution was adopted by a vote of 148 in favour, one against (Israel) and nine abstentions.
Britain, Germany, Turkey and even your lackeys in the Arab world – dictators and absolute monarchs – have opposed your decision and yet you went ahead to please the Zionist lobby, your supporters from the Christian right and funders like the billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Your decision comes as no surprise as you have surrounded yourself with Zionists like your son-in-law Jared Kushner and Islamophobes like the US ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman.
We feel sorry for the American people for having elected a President who has no understanding of international politics, lacks basic ethical and moral values, and submits to pressure from special interest groups in making important decisions without regard to the people’s interests. Your Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is reported to have called you a “moron” and he may be right, judging by your reckless decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Apartheid Israel.
We should, in fact, thank you for exposing the myth about the US being an honest broker in the “peace process” to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It was the US government which, with the support of its Arab lackeys, forced the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to unilaterally recognize Israel without determining its borders, renounce armed resistance – a right guaranteed under international law to victims of colonialism – and enter a “peace process” which is nothing but a charade for the accelerated Israeli colonization of the occupied territories, including Jerusalem.
Every time negotiations to resolve the conflict fail, due to the intransigence and unreasonable demands of Israel, the Palestinians are blamed. Any initiative in the UN Security Council to make Israel accountable for its crimes and gross violation of human rights against the Palestinians is aborted by US threats to exercise its veto powers. As a result, Israel is encouraged to violate with impunity international law, the Resolutions of the Council and the UN Charter.
On an application by the UN General Assembly, the International Court of Justice gave an advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s Apartheid Wall. It declared that the settlements and the Wall on occupied territory are illegal. The report of the United Nations fact-finding mission on Israel’s 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip between December 2008 and January 2009 concluded that “actions amounting to war crimes and possibly, in some respects, crimes against humanity, were committed by the Israel Defence Force (IDF)”. The US blocked all attempts to implement these findings.
Recently the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) commissioned a report on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian population. Titled “Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid”, the report establishes, on the basis of scholarly inquiry and overwhelming evidence, that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid. The US pressured the UN Secretary-General to remove it from ESCWA’s website. Thus, one more UN report exposing Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians has been killed and buried by the US, the “honest broker”.
Mr. President, there are reports of secret meetings between your son-in-law, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayan, and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to kill the Palestinian struggle to liberate Palestine, suppress Islamic political movements, and form a US-Israel-Saudi Arabia-UAE-Bahrain alliance against Iran. This diabolical project will invite resistance from Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims and all those who value justice and peace. It will certainly fail.
The Palestinians have been resisting Zionist colonization for over a hundred years. Their history is filled with heroism, sacrifice and the blood of thousands of martyrs (Mujahid). Their struggle is unprecedented in modern history and an inspiration to millions of the Oppressed. The Zionists have used brutal methods, including ethnic cleansing, in an attempt to kill the Palestinians’ spirit of resistance, freedom and liberation of their homeland.
In 1948, the first Prime Minister of Israel David Ben Gurion said, “We must do everything to insure they [the Palestinians] never do return…the old will die and the young will forget.” The young will not forget and the struggle continues and will continue.
By God’s grace and mercy, VICTORY is assured, even if it takes a thousand years. The Palestinian martyrs will be remembered and honoured by future generations while you and your Arab lackeys will be buried in the dustbin of history.
Signed
1. S.M. Mohamed Idris , Chairman Citizens International 2. Mohd AzmiHamid Hamid, President Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organization (MAPIM) 3. Mohideen Abdul Kader, Director, Universal Justice Network (UJN) 4. Syeikh Ahmad Awang , International Union of Muslim Scholars , Malaysia 5. Syeikh Abdul Ghani Samsudin, Chair Secretraiate for the Assembly of Ulama Asia (SHURA) 6. Al-Quds Foundation Malaysia (QFM) 7. Aqsa Syarif (MyCare) 8. Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (MAPIM) 9. Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) 10. Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) 11. Palestinian Cultural Organization (PCOM) 12. IKRAM 13. Yayasan Restu 14. Pertubuhan Himpunan Lepasan Institusi Pendidikan Malaysia (HALUAN) 15. Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) 16. Global Peace Malaysia (GPM) 17. Sekretariat Himpunan Ulama Rantau Asia (SHURA) 18. Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM) 19. Palestinian Students Association 20. Wadah Pencerdasan Umat Malaysia (WADAH) 21. Institute of Excellence for Islamic Jerusalem Studies 22. Palestine Center of Excellence (PACE) 23. Muslim Care 24. Malaysian Life for SYRIA (MLL4S) 25. Rose to Rose (R2R) 26. SALIMAH (Persatuan Persaudaraan Muslimah Malaysia) 27. TERAS (Persatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Melayu) 28. Kesatuan Ulama Muslimin Sedunia 29. Ramat Care 30. Jaringan Muafakat Ngo Islam Perak 31. Citizens International 32. Al-Nedaa Foundation 33. Amal Foundation of Malaysia 34. Aman Palestin 35. IKRAM Siswa Nasional 36. Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) 37. Angkatan Masyarakat Insani (AMANI) 38. Pertubuhan Kebajikan Darul Wardah (DARWA) 39. Cakna Palestin Malaysia 40. Persatuan Ulama Malaysia (PUM) 41. Research and Information Centre on Islam (RICOI) 42. Majlis Belia Malaysia (MBM) 43. Persatuan Perintis Malabari Malaysia (PPMM) 44. Inspirasi Muhibah Indian Muslim Malaysia (IMIM) 45. Union of NGOs of Islamic World (UNIW) 46. Pertubuhan Iqra PIM 47. Persatuan Al HunafaReleased by Citizens International is an Action based Human Rights NGO in George Town, Penang. Our concerns are largely on emerging issues involving minorities and oppressed people around the globe.