KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia succeeded in securing a joint Asean statement condemning violence against Palestinians in Gaza and Israeli incursions into the Middle East, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the agreement, reached during Malaysia's Asean chairmanship, marked a significant diplomatic achievement, as the regional bloc had previously struggled to reach a consensus on explicitly condemning Israel's actions.

"For the first time, we managed to issue a joint statement at the Asean level during our chairmanship.

"Previously, we could not reach a consensus within Asean. Asean requires consensus. Without it, only a chairman's statement could be issued," he said in response to a supplementary question from Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau).