'Seasonal' actions will not help resolve Palestinian conflict - Raja Bahrin

KUALA TERENGGANU - The reactive 'seasonal' actions taken only when Palestinians face a terrible attack, does not help in fully resolving the long-standing conflict that the country is facing.

Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) International Bureau chief Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad said Muslims in Palestine have been ‘pawned off’ by the world and their Muslim brothers and sisters due to economic factors and political interests influenced by Israel and their ‘big brother’ the United States.

He said the Oslo Accords and the two-state agreement remained only on paper without serious attempts to implement them while Israel continued to drive away Palestinians from their homeland, murdering the population and building illegal settlements.

“We will not solve the Palestine issue by taking a reactive seasonal actions, but we should address the long-standing suffering they face in the largest open prison in the world called Gaza and West Bank.

“The Israel government decided to cut off all water, electrical, and other important supplies to Gaza.

As an additional measure, Europe has also decided to increase their suffering by withholding all humanitarian aid,” he said in a statement here on Wednesday.

Raja Bahrin said most of the world has condemned the atrocities committed in Palestine at this time, and have described the attacks as cruel and inhumane.

“The suffering of 2.4 million Palestinians living in poverty in Gaza are now even more after European countries want to withdraw all humanitarian aid after they were pressured by Israel and the United States.

“The death, prolonged suffering and abuse before their death is the cruellest form of collective tyranny by the supposedly democratic and civilised governments of the West, America and Israel towards Palestine,” he said.

He said the suffering faced by Palestinians should awaken the conscience of the world to create a more just and peaceful world for all.

“The Palestinian issue should not be discussed seasonally, it should be given constant attention to as our neglect of their suffering would further prolong their misery.

“It’s disheartening that only when a terrible, major incident occurs does the world pay attention to the tragedy of Palestine and that is only through symbolic actions without a new approach to solve the larger old issues.

“The world must find the will to continue political determination through collective efforts to find a solution to this conflict so that similar events would not be repeated and a large number of innocent lives lost,” he said.