International law cannot be an ‘optional menu’, Tok Mat says, stressing that no state is above the rules‑based order

International law must be universally enforced, and Malaysia's Foreign Minister stresses the need for accountability to prevent its selective application.

Mohamad Hasan highlights violations in occupied Palestinian territories, advocating for the enforcement of existing legal frameworks and the rights of Palestinian people.

The Hague Group, supported by Malaysia, aims to strengthen international law by coordinating efforts and promoting collective action against impunity in global conflicts.

NEW YORK, Sept 26 — International law cannot be an “optional menu” where rules apply only when convenient. If the international system is to survive, impunity cannot be tolerated, and accountability must prevail.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan conveyed this strong message at his intervention at “The Hague Group Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting in Defence of International Law” at the United Nations (UN) headquarters here yesterday.

Mohamad further stressed that “defending international law is not a matter of choosing sides.”

“It is about defending a rules-based order in which no State is above the law, and in which the rights of peoples are not subject to political convenience,” he said.

Mohamad is in New York from September 23 to 27 to lead Malaysia’s delegation to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

“We meet as the international legal order faces one of its most severe tests.

“In Gaza and across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, we continue to witness blatant violations of international law, immense human suffering, and the systematic denial of fundamental human rights,” he said.

Yet, he said, despite binding court rulings, United Nations resolutions and clear legal obligations,

the Zionist regime continues its atrocities with impunity.

“We cannot allow these violations and breakdown in international norms to be normalised.

“The credibility of international law depends not only on the existence of rules, but on our collective willingness to uphold and enforce them,” he said.

Mohamad said the Question of Palestine remained a litmus test for the international community’s commitment to the rule of law.

“It tests a fundamental premise: whether international law applies universally to all nations, or whether it yields to the whims of those who believe that might makes right.”

The International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion of July 2024 left no doubt regarding states’ obligations concerning Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he said, highlighting that the UNGA had echoed the decision.

Mohamad further said that there was no need to invent new legal frameworks, but rather to enforce those already in place, adding that this was where The Hague Group had an important role to play.

“Our task is to strengthen collective action in defence of international law — by improving coordination, sharing tools, backing international enforcement bodies, and identifying steps governments can take within their own domestic legal systems,” he said.

He stressed that the Group’s work must reinforce the UN system and help states deliver on commitments they had already made.

For the Palestinian people, Mohamad said this meant upholding their inalienable rights, including their right to self-determination, and supporting the realisation of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He said Malaysia joined The Hague Group out of a sense of responsibility that demanded collective and consistent action grounded in international law, adding that the Group provided a framework to turn obligations into concrete measures and actions.

“Our work should reinforce, rather than undermine the multilateral system. The United Nations remains the pillar through which the international community operates,” he said.

Mohamad said that where the system was weakened by inaction or political paralysis, countries must work to strengthen its foundation through principled and lawful action.

He called on members to use The Hague Group to move “from condemnation to execution, from fragmented statements to joint strategy, and from rhetoric to impactful actions”.

“Malaysia stands ready to work with all members of this Group in defence of international law. Let us act together, solidly, urgently, and resolutely, to uphold justice and the rule of law,” he said.

The Hague Group, established in The Hague, Netherlands, on January 31, 2025, brings together Global South countries to coordinate diplomatic and legal efforts aimed at upholding international law and addressing accountability in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. — Bernama

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国际法必须得到普遍执行，马来西亚外交部长强调需要问责制来防止其被选择性地适用。

穆罕默德·哈桑强调了被占领的巴勒斯坦领土上的侵犯人权行为，倡导执行现有的法律框架和巴勒斯坦人民的权利。

由马来西亚支持的海牙集团旨在通过协调各方努力和促进集体行动来加强国际法，以打击全球冲突中不受惩罚的现象。

纽约，9月26日——国际法不能成为“可有可无的菜单”，规则不能只在方便的时候才适用。如果国际体系要继续存在下去，就不能容忍有罪不罚现象，必须确保问责制得到贯彻。

外交部长拿督斯里莫哈末哈山昨天在联合国总部举行的“海牙集团捍卫国际法特别部长级会议”上发表讲话，传达了这一强烈的信息。

穆罕默德进一步强调，“捍卫国际法不是选边站队的问题”。

他说：“这关乎捍卫一个以规则为基础的秩序，在这个秩序中，任何国家都不能凌驾于法律之上，人民的权利不会受到政治便利的影响。”

穆罕默德将于9月23日至27日在纽约率领马来西亚代表团参加联合国大会第81届会议。

“我们在此相聚，正值国际法律秩序面临最严峻考验之际。

他说：“在加沙和整个被占领的巴勒斯坦领土上，我们不断目睹公然违反国际法、造成巨大的人道主义苦难以及系统性地剥夺基本人权的行为。”

然而，他表示，尽管有具有约束力的法院判决、联合国决议和明确的法律义务，

犹太复国主义政权继续犯下暴行而不受惩罚。

“我们绝不能允许这些违反国际准则的行为正常化。

他说：“国际法的公信力不仅取决于规则的存在，还取决于我们维护和执行这些规则的集体意愿。”

穆罕默德表示，巴勒斯坦问题仍然是对国际社会维护法治承诺的试金石。

“它检验了一个基本前提：国际法是否普遍适用于所有国家，还是会屈从于那些信奉强权即公理者的任性妄为。”

他表示，国际法院 2024 年 7 月的咨询意见明确规定了各国对以色列在被占领巴勒斯坦领土上的非法存在所应承担的义务，并强调联合国大会也赞同这一决定。

穆罕默德进一步表示，没有必要制定新的法律框架，而应该执行现有的法律框架，并补充说，海牙集团在这方面可以发挥重要作用。

他说：“我们的任务是加强捍卫国际法的集体行动——通过改善协调、共享工具、支持国际执法机构以及确定各国政府可以在其国内法律体系内采取的措施。”

他强调，该小组的工作必须加强联合国系统，并帮助各国履行其已作出的承诺。

穆罕默德表示，对于巴勒斯坦人民而言，这意味着维护他们不可剥夺的权利，包括自决权，并支持建立一个以 1967 年前的边界为基础、以东耶路撒冷为首都的独立主权巴勒斯坦国。

他表示，马来西亚加入海牙集团是出于一种责任感，这种责任感要求采取基于国际法的集体和一致的行动。他还补充说，该集团提供了一个框架，可以将义务转化为具体的措施和行动。

他说：“我们的工作应该加强多边体系，而不是削弱它。联合国仍然是国际社会运作的支柱。”

穆罕默德表示，如果一个体系因不作为或政治瘫痪而变得薄弱，各国必须通过有原则和合法的行动来加强其基础。

他呼吁成员国利用海牙集团“从谴责走向执行，从零散的声明走向联合战略，从空谈走向有影响力的行动”。

他说：“马来西亚愿与该集团所有成员合作，捍卫国际法。让我们团结一致，坚定不移、迅速行动、果断决策，维护正义和法治。”

海牙集团于2025年1月31日在荷兰海牙成立，汇集了全球南方国家，旨在协调外交和法律努力，以维护国际法并追究以色列-巴勒斯坦冲突的责任。——马来西亚国家通讯社（Bernama）

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