Set up OIC peacekeeping force to defend Gaza

Since the Israeli forces' current bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza began following the Oct 7 Hamas-led operation in Israel, the world continues to witness the brutality of the Zionist regime carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

One by one of these heinous and inhumane crimes have finally opened the eyes of the international community, prompting the world to rise and speak up against Israel's oppression through massive gatherings.

However, street protests and demonstrations were not enough. Something must be done at a higher level to stop Israel's ongoing war crimes that have persisted for 75 years.

In this regard, as one of the loudest voices advocating for the Palestinian cause, Malaysia, through Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has proposed a request to Turkey and Saudi Arabia to convene an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) soon.

Through his Facebook page, Anwar said the emergency meeting should involve other major powers like Brazil, Russia and China which have also expressed firmness in opposing the brutality of the Zionist regime.

The question is, can this emergency meeting bring a new solution that can ultimately defend the Palestinian people or will it be just another repetition of rhetorical conferences that ultimately do not bring a complete resolution?.

International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC-IIUM) assistant professor Dr Ahmad El-Muhammady said one of the proposals to be discussed was the formation of a peacekeeping force among OIC member states to protect Gaza.

"One idea that should be considered is deploying a peacekeeping force from OIC countries to Palestine, especially in Gaza to monitor security when the war eventually ends.

"While there are still no clear signs of when and how this war will end, this idea needs to be discussed promptly to prevent further attacks by Israel," he told Sinar Premium yesterday.

He added that while OIC was seen to have influence and impact, the emergency meeting was hoped to find a new formula that can defend the fate of the Palestinian people.

"Whatever methods used by OIC and the United Nations (UN), the priority is to stop the war and the Zionist regime's attacks on Gaza.

"Secondly, humanitarian aid needs to be delivered immediately to save the lives of innocent civilians. Thirdly, all parties involved need to negotiate for a ceasefire," he said.

He added that the current situation in Gaza was critical.

While Hamas fighters were still able to withstand the Zionist regime's attacks, the worst affected were innocent civilians, including children and women.

Furthermore, Israel was in reality lagging behind Palestine in terms of the war of ideas, even though the rogue state was considered more powerful militarily and in terms of weaponry.

"Proof of this is that with every bomb that explodes in Gaza, the situation recruits more Palestinian supporters worldwide.

"Even major cities in Europe are shaken by the support for Palestine. This is because the voice of humanity ultimately desires peace," he said.

Ahmad said with the increasing global support for the fate of the Palestinian people, he hoped that in the long term, all united Arab countries will be firm in finalising the existence of the Palestinian state.

"In addition to the challenge of the conflict of leaders to seek a peaceful solution, the general public also needs to understand the Two-State Solution, as it is one of the causes of the failure of the Oslo Agreement.

"Extreme factions in Israel (including Benjamin Netanyahu himself) reject it because it is seen as a betrayal. On the Hamas side, they try to undermine the agreement because it is seen as not in favour of Palestine," he said.

The need for a security force

Commenting further, Department of International Relations, Security and Law, Faculty of National Defence Studies, Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Mohd Mizan Aslam said a security force with mandates from the OIC and UN needed to be established to curb Israel's ongoing colonisation of Gaza.

"In this way, the security force will be able to maintain security in Palestine, especially in Gaza and at the same time be protected by various international regulations and laws," he said.

Furthermore, the emergency meeting also needed to discuss solutions to urge Israel to accept the Two-State Solution proposed by the UN in 1967, he added.

He said the decision can be made at the emergency meeting so that Islamic countries that have established diplomatic normalisation with Israel will terminate or suspend their relations for solidarity with Gaza.

Mizan said that the matter can only be resolved when Israel ended its occupation and allowed humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinian people.

"At this point, the voices of Muslims and pro-Palestinians are increasingly being heard worldwide and if Israel launches another attack, it could invite major powers like Russia and China as well as other Islamic countries to join in defending Gaza.

"If that happens, a larger war will occur and that will be the end for Israel, which has been strongly supported by the United States for a long time," he said.