Malaysia expresses “unyielding support for the Palestinian people”

KUALA LUMPUR The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, had a telephone conversation with Ismail Haniyeh, political leader of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas on Tuesday.

The Malaysian prime minister himself reported this on his social media platform X while expressing his country’s “unyielding support for the Palestinian people”.

I had a phone conversation with Hamas Head of Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh yesterday to express Malaysia's unwavering support for the Palestinian people.

Given the dire situation in Gaza, I strongly advocate for the immediate cessation of bombardment and the establishment of… pic.twitter.com/9Ozro8xtC3

— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) October 17, 2023

Anwar called for an immediate end to Israeli bombing of Gaza and the opening of a humanitarian corridor through the Rafah crossing, between Egypt and the Strip.

Finally, the Malaysian prime minister urged Israel to abandon its “policy of expropriation” and pursue a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

On Monday Anwar said Malaysia does not agree with Western calls to publicly condemn Hamas for the attack on Israel. The prime minister added that Kuala Lumpur does not intend to change its long-standing policy, which includes direct relations with Hamas. The prime minister’s statements come in response to growing pressure from Malaysia’s parliamentary majority and opposition, who have both accused the government of responding too softly to Western pressure and failing to explicitly condemn Israel’s bombing of Gaza.

In recent days Anwar has published on his social media profiles meetings with representatives of various local pro-Palestinian organisations, and referred to the latter’s plans to organize “a demonstration of a million people” in support of the Palestinian cause.