Don't use Palestinian-Israeli issue to create disharmony among Malaysians - PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reminded the public not to politicise the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or allow it to be used as a tool to create disharmony among the multi-racial society in Malaysia.

In fact, he said the people of various ethnicities in the country should view the conflict as a humanitarian issue affecting the Palestinians who are struggling to break free from Israeli occupation.

"I also want to take this opportunity to encourage all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion, to look at it from historical and humanitarian perspectives and not to let it be an issue that changes our stance on the meaning of independence.

"...there are voices claiming that we are too harsh and contradict our non-aligned stance. Yes, Malaysia is supporting the non-aligned principle, but not when it involves atrocities, not when thousands of children were killed and bombed, not in the matter of justice and humanity," he said in reply to Suhaizan Kaiat (PH-Pulai) during Minister's Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

Suhaizan wanted to know the outcome of the Prime Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt, especially in connection with the Israeli attacks on the Palestinians in Gaza.

Anwar said that the issue of Palestine is indeed very close to the Muslim community, but at the same time, involves humanitarian issues that need to be exposed to the general public to increase their knowledge.

"So, I hope we take this opportunity to provide such information to the people. That's why I support the Education Minister's (Fadhlina Sidek) call to encourage students to follow the developments (of the issue).

"Of course, we have guidelines and we should not encourage hatred among them, but rather to enlighten them and make them understand of what is happening, the oppression, the dispossession," he said.

On foreign pressure and threats, Anwar said the Wisma Putra has received three demarche notes from the United States, namely on Oct 13, 18 and 30, requesting Malaysia not to continue to be firm in its stance, especially in refusing to designate Hamas as a terrorist group.

Anwar said Malaysia, however, maintains its stance, using humanitarian considerations and seeing aggression as unlawful under international law and norms.

At the same time, he said Malaysia supports Turkey and Saudi Arabia's proposal to hold an extraordinary meeting of the leaders of Islamic countries to discuss the Palestinian issue in more depth.

"I have asked the Foreign Minister (Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir) to contact Turkiye and Saudi Arabia to express the importance of holding this extraordinary meeting, which also involves countries like Brazil, Russia, and China, which have expressed fairly strong stance against Israeli aggression," he added.

-- BERNAMA