The United States has made three formal requests to Malaysia to reverse its official position of refusing to label Hamas a terrorist organisation, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday, adding his administration would not bend to the diplomatic pressure.
Muslim-majority Malaysia has long been Southeast Asia’s most vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and protests over Israel’s siege and bombing of Gaza have snowballed in recent weeks.
Hamas leaders have been hosted by Malaysia as recently as 2020.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh (right) chats with Malaysian’s then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed during a courtesy visit in January 2020. Photo: Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia / Handout.
The “démarche” notes were sent twice – on October 13 and October 30 – by the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur to the Malaysian foreign ministry. The Malaysian ambassador in Washington, meanwhile, was summoned on October 18 on the same matter.
Démarche are formal diplomatic representations seeking to persuade a foreign government, but ultimately can be to protest or object to a country’s actions.
“It is to ask [Malaysia] to not carry on with our stance, especially our refusal to consider Hamas as a terror organisation,” Anwar said. “We consider this a reminder, but our response is firm: to continue our relations with Hamas.”
Experts claim that Hamas has an “unofficial embassy” in Malaysia through the Palestinian Cultural Organisation Malaysia which was co-founded by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution.
Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal have both been welcomed with open arms by Malaysia.
In 2018, Palestinian engineer and Hamas member Fadi al-Batsh was gunned down outside his Kuala Lumpur home, allegedly by Mossad agents who managed to escape Malaysian authorities.
Anwar also read a statement on the Palestinian situation which again condemned Israel as an occupying force that is “hell-bent on presenting a binary conception of the crisis” that he said enabled “an outright massacre of a helpless people in Gaza”.
Smoke billows from residential buildings after Israeli air strikes in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE.
“There are no two ways about it. We condemn terrorism, in all its forms, and we categorically condemn the actions of killing innocent lives and taking women and children as hostages,” he said.
“By the same token, we unequivocally condemn the bombing of civilians, of homes and hospitals and the consequential massacre of innocent lives, children, women and men that is being carried out day and night by the Israeli forces.”
Authorities in Gaza say that more than 8,805 people have been killed and nearly 20,000 injured. Of that tally, 3,600 are children. Meanwhile, more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday refused to countenance a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas. “Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism … this will not happen,” he said.
Anwar has previously claimed that he had faced threats and pressure from Western powers over his advocacy for the plight of the Palestinian people – an issue that carries a domestic political dividend in the Muslim-majority nation.
“I have received much criticism, threats … I say you’ve picked the wrong side,” he told a crowd of some 20,000 people in a pro-Palestinian rally at a Kuala Lumpur stadium on October 24.
“Malaysia is a free and independent country. Malaysia will remain a sovereign nation that upholds freedom and the freedom of the Palestinian people.”
On October 18, Malaysian ambassador to the US Nazri Aziz said the US State Department was “not pleased” with Malaysia’s support for Hamas and the Palestinian people.
Speaking to local news agency Astro Awani, Nazri reportedly said that he made Malaysia’s position clear.
“Malaysia will not bow to pressure from any quarters on its support for Hamas and Palestine,” he told Astro Awani.
Nazri also criticised US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for not engaging with Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir, who attempted to contact Blinken to speak about the matter.
The department instead suggested that Zambry speak with Blinken’s deputy, a diplomatic slight, according to Nazri.
“It is as if they wanted to belittle Malaysia,” he reportedly said.
Main photo: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivers a speech at the “Malaysia Stands with Palestine” rally in Kuala Lumpur on October 24, held in solidarity with the Palestinian people © EPA-EFE.
Source: South China Morning Post.
