ABIM MONITORS PROPOSED 'BOARD OF PEACE' AND INTERNATIONAL FORCE IN GAZA

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 (Bernama) -- Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) is seriously monitoring developments regarding the proposed formation of a Board of Peace and an International Stabilisation Force during the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza.

Its President, Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin, stressed that lasting peace in Palestine must be anchored in a fair and comprehensive political settlement framework.

"An approach focused solely on security management without touching on the root issues of colonisation, occupation, and the denial of the right to self-determination risks becoming a mechanism for freezing the conflict," he said in a statement today.

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He said that the history of international relations shows that stabilisation models not accompanied by the end of occupation and the recognition of sovereignty will only maintain a power imbalance.

According to him, ABIM is concerned that the proposed structure could become a new configuration of power, replacing direct occupation with an administration that still controls the Palestinian political space.

ABIM also questioned whether both entities would operate under a legitimate mandate from authoritative international bodies, such as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and be subject to international law.

"Are the Palestinian people, including those in Gaza, the West Bank, and the diaspora, being given the genuine and sovereign right to determine their own political future without external pressure?" he asked.

Ahmad Fahmi also raised the question of whether disarmament would be comprehensive, or if it would only focus on one party without equal security guarantees that are independently monitored.

He also emphasised that the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank must stop immediately, and there must be a clear political transition mechanism so that Gaza does not turn into a long-term international administration zone that erodes Palestinian sovereignty.

The participation of any country in a security mission must also be based on firm principles, with the primary condition being the recognition and establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.

Additionally, the political transition plan needs to be clear, with Jerusalem recognised as the capital of Palestine, as well as the comprehensive protection of the rights of the Palestinian people, including the return of rights seized illegally and an immediate end to all forms of occupation.

ABIM also called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and regional countries to ensure that any stabilisation model does not ignore the principle of the Palestinian right to self-determination.

“A just solution must be centered on the right to self-determination, the end of the apartheid system, and full respect for international law and resolutions,” he said.

-- BERNAMA