Malaysia working on resolution to expel Israel from UN
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Anwar said his country is part of a core group drafting a resolution proposing Israel’s expulsion from the UN if it is found to have violated international laws in Palestine.
Anwar told the Malaysian parliament on Monday that the draft resolution, which is to be submitted to the UN General Assembly, calls for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice over Israel’s obligations to allow the UN to operate in occupied Palestinian territory.
“The draft resolution is in the negotiation process and we will study if Israel can be removed as a member of [the] UN if there is violation of international laws,” he said. “Malaysia will ensure that the agenda is heard and given attention so that the atrocities of the Israeli regime can be stopped, besides allowing critical aid to reach the Palestinian people at a time when the massacre continues to worsen,” he added.
The move comes as international condemnation grows over Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA from Israeli-controlled territory.
Syria condemns Israel’s attack on Damascus, calls for UN action
The Syrian Foreign Ministry is calling on UN member states to take “urgent action” to stop “Israel’s aggression” against the country after Israeli forces bombed its capital, Damascus.
The assault, at 5:18pm local time (14:18 GMT) on Monday, targeted “civilian areas south of Damascus, causing significant material damage”, the ministry said in a statement published by the official SANA news agency.
“Syria stresses that the aggressive and criminal practices of the Israeli occupation entity and its continued targeting of civilian areas are the result of the failure to take any serious action to curb this entity and stop its serious violations against the peoples and countries of the region,” the ministry added.
Israel has ramped up strikes on Syria since the escalation of the conflict with Hezbollah in September. These include air raids on military sites in central and southern Syria on October 26, and attacks that killed one soldier and wounded seven in Damascus and the western city of Homs on October 24.
US soldier injured during Gaza humanitarian aid pier operation dies
An American soldier who has been in critical condition after suffering severe noncombat injuries while working on an aid pier off the coast of Gaza has died, the US military announced on Monday.
Sergeant Quandarius Davon Stanley was seriously injured in May while supporting sea operations for the US-built pier, which was designed to increase the flow of aid into Gaza to circumvent Israel’s blockade.
The US Army confirmed Stanley’s death, though it did not specify when he passed.
“Stanley was an instrumental and well-respected first-line leader in the 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary, especially during the mission to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” said Colonel John “Eddie” Gray, commander of the unit.
The pier, which cost nearly $230m to build, was beset by setbacks from the start and delivered only a fraction of the promised aid before it was closed in July.
