This is not the first time Israel killed civilians who were performing prayers. In July, Israel also bombed a mosque in the Shati refugee camp in Central Gaza, killing 22 Palestinians and injuring many others. Since October 7, in more than 20 cases Israel has attacked displaced Palestinians staying in schools, killing more than 270 Palestinians, including women and children.
Only the most blind and ignorant will not be able to see the reason Israel is conducting all these crimes is that it has impunity and can get away with them. In fact, despite the killings that have been going on in Gaza, Netanyahu was given a hero's treatment by the US when he gave a speech to the members of the US Congress and received numerous standing ovations.
In the continuum of countries in terms of their response towards the Israeli atrocities in Gaza, the most extreme in their support for the crimes are the United States and Germany. They are the two countries that provide not only diplomatic cover to Israel but also weapons and bombs to Israel to be used to kill the Palestinians.
At the other end of the continuum are the Houthis of Yemen and Iran. They are willing to provide military support to the Palestinians to stop the genocide from continuing. Malaysia is nearer to the Yemeni end of the continuum even if it does not engage in any activity to help Palestinians defend themselves from Israeli attacks.
The question that is on everyone's mind in Malaysia is, can we do anything more to stop the evils being perpetrated by Israel on the Palestinians in Gaza as well as the West Bank? Some will argue that Malaysia is a small country, especially compared to the US, a superpower. Some of us may say that even China and Russia are not doing anything significant to help the Palestinians. Moreover, the Arab countries are also not doing anything to help prevent the slaughter of their fellow Arabs. Perhaps the priority is to strengthen our economy first before we can help the Palestinians. Maybe we should wait until we are militarily strong before we can help the Palestinians fight the Israeli military. After all, the US has said that it will fight any country that attacks Israel, as proven by their decision to despatch their armada to the Middle East following Iran's threat to retaliate against the Israeli killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
The above are but mere excuses for not wanting to do more to help the Palestinians. For example, when will it be that our army can match the United States army and beat them? Similarly, when can we say that we are economically strong and in a position to help the Palestinians? When our economy is more significant than the economy of the US? It should be obvious now that if we use the above excuses to justify our inaction, that means we will never do anything really meaningful to stop the killing of innocent women and children by Israel.
So far, Malaysia has consistently expressed sympathy and support for the Palestinian cause. The Free Palestine Assembly on August 4 at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil was the latest display of this stance. No doubt such a stance needs to be forcefully reiterated, especially since we are now witnessing the crime of genocide being perpetrated by the Zionist regime, which has so far claimed more than 40,000 lives, mostly innocent women and children. In other words, Malaysia's statement that we will always be with them is critical.
But what is more important is the measures to prevent the crime of genocide from continuing in Palestine. Therefore, the recommendation of the president of the Amanah party for the prime minister to invite other Muslim countries that still have political and trade relations with Israel to break those relations is very appropriate.
It is also in line with the international movement for BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) for Israel to be ostracized as long as it does not meet these three demands which are all based on international law, namely:
1. End its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands as stipulated in UN resolution 242 and tear down the Separation Wall as decided by the ICJ in 2004.
2. Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian people in Israel for full equality and
3. Respect, protect and promote the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and property as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.
The minimum Malaysia must do to support the Palestinian cause is to call on other Muslim countries and the global community to isolate Israel so long as it does not fulfil the three demands of the BDS movement as listed above.
However, that is not sufficient. Malaysia must also act firmly against business organizations that help Israel commit atrocities against Palestinians, especially those identified by the UN report dated June 20 2024, as being involved in human rights violations in the Gaza Strip. Those companies should not be allowed to have business opportunities in our country.
It is time for our country to solidify further its commitment to the issue of the Palestinian liberation struggle with more decisive actions. At this critical juncture, mere words of solidarity with the Palestinians are hollow and meaningless without the actions to back those words.
Prof Nazari Ismail is the Honorary Professor at Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies, Universiti Malaya.
** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.
