KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (MAPIM) on Tuesday called for urgent international action following reported Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon that it said killed at least 12 people, including two children.
The statement followed Israeli airstrikes on Kfar Rumman on Sept 7. MAPIM said a residential building was struck during school hours and a separate drone strike reportedly killed a medic.
The Israeli military said it had targeted individuals transferring weapons and that it sought to minimise harm to civilians.
MAPIM said the attacks raised questions over the effectiveness of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is deployed in southern Lebanon to monitor the situation.
“UNIFIL is on the ground. It monitors the situation. It reports violations. Yet civilians continue to die,” MAPIM President Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said in the statement.
MAPIM said UNIFIL had repeatedly documented Israeli military activity, airstrikes and incursions in southern Lebanon and had stated that certain actions violated U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 as well as Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The organisation said Resolution 1701 remained the legal and operational framework guiding UNIFIL’s activities in southern Lebanon.
MAPIM questioned what it described as the lack of meaningful consequences for repeated violations of the resolution.
“What is the practical value of Resolution 1701 if repeated violations produce reports but no meaningful consequences?” Mohd Azmi said.
It also criticised the international community’s reliance on diplomatic statements calling for “deep concern”, “maximum restraint” and “de-escalation”, saying such language had been repeated while homes were destroyed, civilians displaced and medical workers and children killed.
UNIFIL has reported that renewed violence has caused mass displacement and extensive destruction, with civilians bearing the greatest burden, MAPIM said.
The organisation said all parties must comply with Resolution 1701, while stressing that international law should be applied equally.
MAPIM said UNIFIL had also previously reported Israeli actions against or near peacekeepers and warned that such conduct interfered with the mission’s Security Council-mandated duties.
It called on the U.N. Security Council, U.N. Secretary-General, member states and governments with political and military influence over Israel to take immediate steps to protect civilians and enforce Resolution 1701.
MAPIM also called for an independent international investigation into reported attacks causing civilian deaths, including those in Kfar Rumman, with the findings made public.
It urged the strengthening of UNIFIL’s ability to carry out its mandate, protection of U.N. peacekeepers, guaranteed humanitarian access and respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
MAPIM further called for a credible accountability mechanism to establish consequences for serious violations of international humanitarian law.
“The UN knows.
“UNIFIL sees.
“UNIFIL reports.
“Civilians die.
“And the world watches,” Mohd Azmi said.
He said the credibility of the United Nations was being tested in southern Lebanon and called for international law to be applied without exception.
“Lebanon must not become another forgotten battlefield. UNIFIL must not become merely a witness. Resolution 1701 must not become merely a document. International law must not become merely a slogan,” he said.
“The killing of civilians must have consequences. The time for statements without enforcement is over. The United Nations must act. Now.” – DETIK MALAYSIA
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