PH supports Israel's right to defend itself, envoy says after UN abstention

TEL AVIV — The Philippine government recognizes Israel's right to defend itself, Philippine Ambassador to Israel Junie Laylo said Sunday at a memorial mass for one of the four Filipinos killed by Hamas' attack on a kibbutz in southern Israel on October 7.

"Nagpahayag po ang ating gobyerno na we recognize the right of Israel to defend itself, so manalangin po tayo na nasa ay masugpo natin ang mga puwersa ng kadiliman at makakaasa kayo na ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas ay nakahanda sa anumang scenario na [...] mag-escalate. Magtulungan tayo na safety na maka return, pero pinapanalangin natin na hindi aabot sa ganun at magtatagumpay ang puwersa ng Israel," Laylo said.

(Our government has expressed that we recognize the right of Israel to defend itself, so let us pray that we can suppress the forces of darkness, and you can be assured that the government of the Philippines is prepared for any scenario that may escalate, let us work together for safety to return, but we pray that it doesn't reach that point and that the forces of Israel will succeed.)

Laylo's remarks came after the Philippines abstained from voting on a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israela nd Palestinian group Hamas and demanding aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip and the protection of civilians. 

The resolution passed, but the Department of Foreign Affairs said that although the Philippines supports many elements of the UN resolution, it abstained because the resolution did not condemn the Hamas attack on October 7, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians including some Filipinos.

"First and foremost, we condemn the violent attack by Hamas, which seems to have been omitted, words that were not included in the proposal put forth by Jordan, Canada, which had provisions for such a statement, really condemning Hamas and at the same time recognizing Israel's right to self-defense, that was somewhat not accepted in the final resolution, so we abstained," Laylo told GMA Integrated News.

He added that the Philippines and other countries continue to call for peace and an end to violence so that no more innocent people will be affected.

"The Philippines truly believes in the foreign policy of recognizing the two-state solution and, of course, regard for human lives that may be affected if the situation escalates in Gaza," Laylo said.

In the last 48 hours, Hamas has fired multiple rocket attacks mostly targeting Tel Aviv, causing alarming alerts. Most of these rocket attacks were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defense system, but a few have reportedly hit residential buildings. Despite this, the majority of Israel's major cities, including Jerusalem, remain calm and peaceful. Many establishments, however, remain closed.

The Philippine government has placed Israel under Alert Level 2, meaning no forced evacuation is required, but they will continue to be vigilant and monitor the situation as they prepare for a potential ground invasion into Gaza.

"As part of our preparations, we have designated contact persons and different area coordinators. We have also made contact, for example, with reserved buses that can transport them to evacuation centers, which we have already spoken to and are ready to accommodate Filipinos in case the situation escalates. We are also arranging chartered flights from Manila," Laylo said.

"We continuously monitor the situation, especially if Israel enters the forces of the IDF into Gaza, so we are watching to see if Hamas will continue to launch more rockets," he added.

Israeli forces waged ground operations against Hamas in Gaza on Sunday in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the "second phase" of the war.

Gaza's besieged residents faced a near-total communications and Internet blackout as Israel's warplanes dropped bombs and its troops and armor pushed into the Hamas-ruled enclave, with Israeli military chiefs signaling they were gearing up for an expanded ground offensive.

Aid supplies to Gaza have been choked since Israel began bombarding the enclave, and the communications isolation also hit aid agencies, complicating already severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine.

On Sunday, amid a growing outcry over Palestinian civilian deaths, the White House said that Israel has a responsibility to protect the lives of innocent people in Gaza.

US President Joe Biden's administration has been under increasing pressure to make clear that its steadfast support of Israel does not translate into a blanket endorsement of all that its ally is doing in the impoverished coastal enclave. — BM, GMA Integrated News