Malacañang defends UN walkout for peace

The Philippines joined a mass walkout during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before the United Nations General Assembly to express solidarity for peace and opposition to actions threatening prospects for a Palestinian state, Malacañang said Monday.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Philippine delegation participated in the 24 September walkout in New York as part of the country’s longstanding support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The Philippines joined the walkout in global solidarity for peace in the Middle East and the call for all parties to desist from unilateral actions that erode the conditions of peace and undermine the viability of a future Palestinian state,” Castro said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Sunday that Philippine diplomats were among scores of delegates who left the General Assembly hall as Netanyahu began his address.

Humanitarian crisis feared

Castro said Manila remained deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s push to advance the E1 settlement plan in the occupied West Bank, as well as increasing settler violence.

“These actions are detrimental to finding a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Middle East conflict,” she said.

The DFA had separately expressed alarm over the E1 plan on 17 September, warning that actions undermining the territorial viability of a future Palestinian state could damage efforts toward a negotiated peace.

The department said the Philippines would continue supporting the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the two-state solution.

Israel’s E1 plan calls for new settlement construction in an area between East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. Critics, including several Western governments, argue that development in the area would further fragment Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

Netanyahu reacted to the walkout during his UN speech, calling departing delegates “moral cowards.”

Despite joining the protest, the Philippines did not announce any change in its diplomatic relations with Israel. Manila has historically maintained close relations with Israel while also formally supporting Palestinian statehood and a negotiated two-state solution.