On October 27, the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution calling for a resolution with overwhelming support immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and demanded access of aid to Gaza.

One hundred and twenty countries voted in favor of the resolution, clearly expressing their opposition to Israel’s continuation of the siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has cost the lives of thousands of civilians.

The Philippines was not one of these countries. She, along with 45 others, abstained from voting on the resolution. Instead, it recognized Israel’s “right to self-defense” but remained silent on the human rights abuses and war crimes suffered by Palestinians in Gaza.

While that was disappointing, it wasn’t exactly surprising. The Philippine government has unconditionally supported Israel for many decades, ignoring the numerous violations of international law and serious crimes against the Palestinians living under its occupation.

Relations between the Philippines and Israel are as old as Israel itself. The Philippines was among the 33 countries that voted in 1947 for UN Resolution 181, which divided Palestine into two states, one Arab and one Jewish, with Jerusalem a special international one was subordinated to the regime. As we all know, this plan never came to fruition. But the Philippines continued to support the Israeli state and its illegal expansion into the Palestinian territories.

Israel and the Philippines established full diplomatic relations in 1957 and signed a Treaty of Friendship in 1958. Manila’s support for Israel has remained strong since then. Not only did it never pressure Israel to cede occupied Palestinian territories, but it also always actively sought to shield it from international criticism. In 2017, for example, the Philippines abstained from voting on a resolution criticizing then-US President Donald Trump’s attempt to unilaterally consolidate Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, in open contradiction to its 1947 position.

A year later, Rodrigo Duterte became the first Filipino president in history to visit Israel. At the beginning of his term, Duterte promised to develop an independent foreign policy that would not automatically follow US policies. But under his administration, as his visit to the country in 2018 demonstrated, the Philippines continued its unconditional diplomatic and political support for Israel on all fronts.

Today, under the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippines is firmly back in the U.S. orbit and the country’s support for Israel remains as strong as ever.

Since Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people and captured more than 200, the Philippines has repeatedly shown solidarity with Israel and condemned the harm inflicted on Israeli civilians. But it didn’t stop there.

Consistent with its long-held pro-Israel position, the Philippines went beyond advocating for the human rights of Israelis to providing blind support to the Israeli government for its vindictive and objectively disproportionate attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

By unconditionally and unconditionally supporting the Israeli government and its war on Gaza, the Philippines has firmly placed itself on the wrong side of history and ended up working against its own interests.

Israel’s siege and bombing of the Gaza Strip has already caused immense human damage, claiming more than 11,000 lives, including many children, in just a few weeks. Like all countries, the Philippines has a moral obligation not to participate in, support or in any way condone government actions and policies that result in thousands of deaths, widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and mass displacement. It is also obliged to hold all states, including their allies, accountable when they flagrantly violate international law. A foreign policy that does not actively call for an end to all violence in Gaza undermines these commitments and leaves the Philippines vulnerable to allegations of complicity in Israel’s human rights abuses and alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Blind support for Israel is also at odds with the long-term interests of the Philippine government.

The Philippines knows firsthand the dangers of a militarily and economically powerful neighbor that routinely flouts international law and seeks to expand into the territories of surrounding smaller states. The Philippines has long been embroiled in territorial disputes with China and just this week had confrontations with Chinese vessels over such issues.

Supporting violations of international laws and norms weakens the Philippines’ moral stance on the international stage and its calls for condemnation of China’s territorial aggression in the South China/West Philippine Sea. The Philippines cannot expect the international community to help it combat violations of international law by a neighboring state while actively supporting similar violations by another state.

Therefore, for reasons ranging from moral obligation to self-interest, the Philippines should reconsider its policy toward Israel, end its unwavering support for the Israeli government, and, most importantly, pursue a foreign policy that recognizes and respects the human rights of all peoples . including the Palestinians. The Philippines must recognize that it is wrong to kill civilians, whether Israelis or Palestinians, without any ifs or buts.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.