Malaysia Calls For Complete Lifting Of Gaza Blockade

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has called on Israel to lift completely the blockade it imposed on Gaza and put an end to injustice against the people of Palestine. Malaysia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Hussein Haniff, told the United Nations General Assembly session in New York on Saturday, that Israel should stop all settlement-related activities including expansion, confiscation of Palestinian land and the demolition of Palestinian homes. Recollecting his personal observation as a member of a special committee on a field mission to the Gaza Strip, Hussein said, Israel's blockade of Gaza "virtually imprisons the coastal strip of 1.5 million inhabitants." "Building and houses continue to lay ruins due to the unavailability of construction materials as a result of the action of the occupying power," he said. Hussein's speech text was release here Saturday. Malaysia also calls for Israel "to abrogate illegal and repressive policies and practices" against Palestinians in East Jurusalem, undertake steps that ensure the Palestinian children's right to education, and adhere to international law and standards with regard to treatment of Palestinian prisoners, including children and women. He said the Report of the Special Committee illustrates the "flagrant violations of the inalienable human rights" of the Palestinian people and other Arabs by Israel. Citing the report, he said, human rights conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory continued to worsen due to the violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by Israel. "Lack of sufficient electricity and disruption of power supply due to deficiencies in power facilities negatively affects the very fabric of Gaza society, particularly the elderly and the sick. "Due to the lack of schools, children of Gaza are cramped into containers that served as temporary schools," he added. Against such background, Hussein said, approximately 70 per cent or 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza are now totally dependent on the UN for humanitarian assistance. -- BERNAMA