ASEAN HAS ITS OWN UNSETTLED ISSUES , BUT ITS POSITION ON THE OCCUPATION AND GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE MUST BE FIRM AND UNWAVERING IN WORDS AND IN ACTION – MAPIM

Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations) – MAPIM
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MAPIM MEDIA STATEMENT

ASEAN HAS ITS OWN UNSETTLED ISSUES , BUT ITS POSITION ON THE OCCUPATION AND GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE MUST BE FIRM AND UNWAVERING IN WORDS AND IN ACTION – MAPIM

Kuala Lumpur – 28th October 2025

MAPIM calls on ASEAN leaders meeting this week to move beyond expressions of concern and adopt enforceable measures that defend human life, uphold international law, and end complicity in Israel’s ongoing occupation and mass atrocities in Palestine. Legitimacy in global affairs begins with moral clarity. If ASEAN seeks respect, it must match its words with actions.

Our core message

1. Principles first – no double standards.
2. Protection of civilians is non negotiable.
3. Accountability and consequences must follow violations.
4. Humanitarian access must be guaranteed by design, not begged for. What ASEAN must do now
5. Adopt a Common ASEAN Position that explicitly names the occupation, demands a permanent ceasefire, and affirms the right of Palestinians to self determination under international law.
6. Activate an ASEAN Humanitarian Mechanism for Palestine via the AHA Centre, in coordination with OIC and UN partners, to mobilise medical supply chains, medevac options, and a pooled funding window.
7. Support accountabilit y – publicly back ICJ and ICC processes and direct ASEAN justice ministries to cooperate on evidence preservation and sanctions recommendations.
8. Issue regional guidance on business and finance – instruct sovereign funds, pensions, and banks to screen, divest, and cease procurement from entities implicated in settlement activity or weapons used against civilians.
9. Table an arms and dual use embargo at national level across ASEAN on transfers that risk enabling grave breaches.
10. Name a 30 day verification calendar – monthly public reporting on aid entry, protection of medical facilities, and restoration of essential services, with clear metrics.
11. Guarantee civil society space – protect peaceful assemblies and humanitarian advocacy around the summit and beyond. What Malaysia should place on the table A draft ASEAN Common Position with concrete verbs and timelines. An ASEAN OIC Gaza Relief Compact – pooled pledges, unified procurement, transparent dashboards, independent monitoring. A Regional Compliance and Sanctions Review Taskforce – to align trade, finance, and procurement with international humanitarian law. A Safe Migration and Protection track for Palestinians stranded or transiting in the region, coordinated with UN agencies. On engagement with the United States during the summit

We will engage any partner that can help stop the killing and open lifelines to civilians. But photo opportunities without policy shifts are unacceptable. ASEAN should ask for three specific commitments:

1. restore and expand humanitarian funding channels,
2. support for an immediate and durable ceasefire with monitored access,
3. non transfer of weapons that enable violations against civilians. Accountability and international law

MAPIM urges ASEAN states to file or support interventions before competent courts, adopt universal jurisdiction pathways for grave crimes, and refuse entry to individuals credibly implicated in war crimes. The message is simple – no impunity.

Closing

Palestinian lives are not bargaining chips. ASEAN’s credibility will be judged by what it does in the next 30 to 90 days. Words matter, but lives depend on actions.

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President, Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations (MAPIM)