The Philippines–Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA)
welcomes the Philippine delegation’s walkout during
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the
81st United Nations General Assembly last September 24. At a
time of Israel’s continuing genocide, occupation, and war
crimes against the Palestinian people, this act of
solidarity has never been more important.
“This is
proof that governments can no longer afford to be passive
spectators. The times demand that the international
community stand on the side of humanity, justice, and the
Palestinian people’s right to self-determination”, PPFA
said.
Netanyahu, who faces an arrest warrant from the
International Criminal Court (ICC), must be held accountable
for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“The UN
must not become a platform for those accused of grave
international crimes to whitewash their record and evade
accountability. A leader facing such charges must not be
allowed to use the world’s highest multilateral forum to
whitewash Israel’s crimes”, PPFA added.
The genocide
continues unabated in Gaza while the Israeli government
advances its colonial settlement in West Bank. Israel has
broken its own declaration of ceasefire last October 10,
2025 — over 4,000 times while waging wars against Lebanon
and Iran.
The DFA’s condemnation of Israel’s E1
settlement plan and its stated support for Palestinian
self-determination are welcome developments. But alarm over
Israel’s violations of international law, backed by the
United States, must translate into concrete action. Under
Marcos Jr., the Philippines ranks as the third-largest
importer of Israeli arms, accounting for 8.1% of Israel’s
arms exports in 2020–24, according to
Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute.
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The Philippines government continues to
enter into arms deals with Israel, welcome Israeli
cybersecurity and trade partnerships, and pursue investments
in the U.S.-led Pax Silica projects that threaten Aeta
ancestral lands, farming communities, and the
environment.
“If the Philippine government is truly
committed, the same “alarm” must also be raised over
U.S. military operations and Israeli weapons systems used
against Filipino communities”, PPFA
emphasized.
Solidarity with Palestine cannot be
separated from the defense of human rights and
self-determination in the Philippines. PPFA reiterates its
call on the Marcos Jr. government, the DFA, and all
Philippine institutions to uphold unequivocal solidarity
with the Filipino and Palestinian peoples. This includes
addressing the basic rights, livelihood, sustenance, and
reintegration needs of Filipino-Palestinian refugee families
in the Philippines, while confronting the systems of
oppression that forced them from their homeland and continue
to affect them here.
We call on the Philippine
government to boycott Israeli arms and divest from
Israel’s bloodied money instead of proudly courting firms
profiting from genocide into Pax Silica. It must also
address domestic abuses such as police brutality,
militarization of rural communities, Zionist harassment in
Siargao, and economic projects that strip indigenous people
of land and livelihood.
To stand with Palestine is to
stand against all forms of oppression. The UN walkout is a
meaningful act of solidarity, but solidarity must go beyond
diplomatic gestures. The Marcos Jr. government should stand
with Palestine in words and deeds. No more arms deals, no
more complicity, no more double
standards.
