WNAM MONITORING: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim Tuesday called on Arab and Muslim countries to remain “consistent and firm” in demanding justice for the Palestinian people.
Emphasizing need to bring Israel to “justice for all the crimes and atrocities committed against Palestine,” Anwar said: “All parties also need to voice objections to Israel’s illegal invasion and occupation of Palestinian land, which is the main cause of this prolonged conflict.”
Anwar’s statement came after he met Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh.
Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Hamas, which claimed 1,200 lives and took around 250 as hostages.
More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, and 85% of the enclave’s population has been forced into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Pakistan decries use of ‘fake news’
Pakistan decried use of fake news and disinformation with regards to the war in Gaza.
“We are witnessing this (disinformation) today in the Gaza war and have witnessed this consistently in the case of occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” said Munir Akram, Pakistan’s representative at the UN.
“At the core of information manipulation, internet blackouts, censorship and the use of special media laws by the occupation authorities is a sinister design to de-legitimize freedom struggles and perpetuate a climate of fear, intimidation and violence,” said Akram, addressing 46th session of the Committee on Information at the UN headquarters on Monday, according to a statement.
He said states, which resort to fake news and disinformation in “situations of foreign occupation,” aim “to subdue the voices of people being denied their fundamental freedoms including the right to self-determination,” a statement by Pakistani diplomatic mission said.
Pointing out the current global landscape marked by growing geopolitical tensions and conflicts, including the war in Gaza and the prolonged conflict in Ukraine, Akram emphasized “dissemination of accurate information was crucial to empower nations and advance peace and prosperity objectives.”