KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has been invited to take part as a co-convener in efforts to reconstruct Gaza, following an invitation from Egypt and France.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia will participate in the Gaza Reconstruction Conference, to be held this month in Egypt, as part of joint efforts to strengthen international support for the recovery of the war-torn territory.
“So, we will attend to ensure that Malaysia can contribute – even if not significantly, at least in some way – so that this reconstruction effort can be shared collectively as part of the international community.
“This is also to ensure that the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, can be alleviated, even if not immediately,” he said during the winding-up of the 2026 Budget debate for his ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Meanwhile, Mohamad said Malaysia was invited to a recent meeting of foreign ministers from several Muslim countries to discuss ways to manage the post-war situation.
“Malaysia was invited, but since I was in South Korea, I was unable to attend the meeting.
“However, I have already informed my Turkish counterpart that Malaysia stands together on whatever decisions are made,” he said.
He added that with regard to deploying peacekeeping troops, Malaysia has consistently maintained that it has never failed to do so when given a mandate from the United Nations (UN).
“If invited by the UN to join a peacekeeping force, we have never failed to respond.
“However, any such participation must be based on a formal mandate, as we cannot deploy our peacekeeping forces without one.
“There have also been many questions as to why Malaysia does not send peacekeeping troops, but we will not do so without a UN mandate,” he said.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
