https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-palestine-hamas-israel-anwar-3855796
KUALA LUMPUR: It has been more than a week since Palestinian national Abdalrahim Shehab, 46, has got a proper night’s rest.
He has been worried sick about the situation back home in Gaza since the latest flaring up of tensions last Saturday (Oct 7) that he is unable to shut his eyes for long.
His phone next to him is never switched off at night as he tries to get in touch with his family.
“I am charging my phone four times a day and the phone is beeping every few minutes. I cannot sleep as images of kids dying keep on appearing. My father is 77 and has health issues while my mother is 72,” Mr Abdalrahim told CNA.
“I am just worried about my family back home. It is very hard when you are away from your beloved ones and it is very hard to reach them.”
The only consolation for Mr Abdalrahim, who has just completed his doctorate in architecture at a university in Malaysia, is the overwhelming warmth and support from the Malaysian community.
Mr Abdalrahim who has been living in Malaysia for 10 years with his wife and five children, said that a Malaysian even paid for his son’s haircut on Tuesday when he knew he was from Palestine.
“I cannot put into words how all this means to me,” he said while sobbing on the phone with CNA.
Mr Abdalrahim said he is also thankful for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s stance on the issue, to the extent of publicly defending Malaysia’s relationship with the Palestinian militant group Hamas that has governed Gaza since 2006.
“Anwar is the first Muslim leader to not only clearly state support for Palestine but for Hamas. Even the Arab countries have refused to do so,” he said.
At least 3,400 Palestinians have been killed while in Israel, the death toll has passed 1,400 people after Hamas' cross-border assaults on Oct 7 which have been followed by Israel's attacks in the Gaza strip.
Observers say that Malaysia’s position on the Palestinian cause is not unusual, reflecting the position of the majority of the people, where Muslims make up almost two-thirds of the population.
They, however, don’t expect Malaysia to face any pressure for its stance that has not wavered from day one of the issue, going back decades.
MALAYSIA’S SUPPORT
While most Western countries and some Arab countries have condemned Hamas for its part in the killing of Israeli civilians on Oct 7, Malaysia has refused to do so.This has cast a spotlight on Malaysia’s relationship with the group that has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union among others.
Mr Anwar told the parliament on Monday (Oct 16) that Western and European countries have repeatedly asked Malaysia to condemn Hamas in meetings.
"I said that we, as a policy, have a relationship with Hamas from before and this will continue," he added.
“Therefore, we don’t agree with (western countries) as Hamas won the elections. The people of Gaza chose them to lead.”
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Oct 17), Mr Anwar said he had a conversation with Hamas’ Political Bureau head Ismail Haniyeh the day before to express the country’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 a humanitarian corridor in Rafah,” said the premier, who also pledged RM100million (US$21milllion) in humanitarian aid for Gaza.
“It is also imperative for Israel to abandon their adherence to the politics of dispossession, immediately ceasefire with Hamas and genuinely pursue a peaceful resolution to end the ongoing conflict.”
Mr Anwar who will be going to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Oct 19 for the Asean and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit said that he would discuss the matter with friends such as UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey if there is a need to hold meetings with other world leaders on the issue.
Malaysia’s vocal support for the Palestinian cause was reportedly the trigger behind a bomb threat scare at the Mid Valley Southkey mall in Johor Bahru on Oct 15.
The police told reporters that the management of the mall received a call from a person claiming to be from overseas who wanted to place a bomb in the area because of Malaysia’s support for Palestine.
The mall was evacuated and later declared to be safe, but despite the threat, Malaysia’s deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the country would continue supporting the Palestinian cause.
MALAYSIA’S OPEN RELATIONSHIP WITH HAMAS
Malaysia has never hidden its relationship with Hamas, welcoming its leaders openly here.Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met with Dr Mahathir back in Jan 2020 when the latter was in his second stint as prime minister.
In Jan 2013, former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak visited Gaza on a humanitarian mission, where he was received by the Hamas leader Haniyeh.
There have also been allegations that the Palestine Cultural Organisation Malaysia (PCOM), a non-governmental organisation in Kuala Lumpur, is a front for Hamas.
According to its website, the organisation - which is located in a house close to the heart of Kuala Lumpur - aims to develop a mutual understanding and cooperation between Palestine and Malaysia.
Among the events it has organised include talk series’, annual grand Iftar or the breaking of fast during the Ramadan month, advocacy week, and outreach programmes.
Those affiliated with the organisation, including some approached by CNA in recent days, have denied this linkage between PCOM and Hamas.
But in 2018, Palestinian lecturer Fadi al-Batsh who was also said to be a member of Hamas was gunned down in Kuala Lumpur by someone who was supposedly recruited by Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.
In September of last year, local media reported that two Palestinian computer programmers were abducted on the instructions of Mossad by Malaysians, although both managed to get away.
NO REASON FOR CHANGE IN STANCE
Analyst James Chin, who is a Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, told CNA that domestic politics was among Mr Anwar’s considerations in publicly reiterating Malaysia’s position on the issue and its support of the Palestinian cause.“We know that the Americans don’t like it but they will understand why he is doing it - to show his position in the Muslim community,” he added.
“By and large, there won’t be any blowback at all. Everybody knows it is political posturing and it is not only him who is doing it. Indonesian groups are doing it as well. It is not something new or unexpected.”
Prof Chin explained that as Mr Anwar faces political problems domestically with the majority of Malay voters supporting the Parti Se-Islam Malaysia (PAS), pushing support for the issue was good to show his Islamic credentials.
“It is also a good issue for him to take some sort of leadership position amongst Southeast Asian nations because there are substantial Muslim populations in Singapore, southern Philippines and southern Thailand, in addition to the Muslim-majority countries of Indonesia and Malaysia,” he said.
Dr Azmi of the Nusantara Academy believed that Malaysia’s stance wouldn’t affect the country’s relationship with the West as it did not have a huge influence.
“Malaysia is not, I would say, Saudi Arabia, which has a huge influence in that region. So when Malaysia says this, it won’t change the balance of geopolitics there,” he said.
Malaysia's ambassador to the United States Nazri Aziz told Malaysian broadcaster Astro Awani that the Department of State was not pleased with Malaysia's stance on the issue.
He however said that the country would not succumb to pressure from any party for the support given to Hamas and Palestine.
Mr Ignatius - the former ambassador – said that each country in the region has their own unique perspectives on their stances due to various factors.
“We have always insisted that there will be no recognition of Israel until a deal is worked out.
“Even Arab countries have normalised relations but this is our position and we have stuck to it. It’s a matter of principles and one of the few principles we have held through day from day one,” he said.
Mr Ignatius also doesn’t see why Malaysia’s relationship with other countries should be impacted amid the Israel-Hamas conflict just because of their differing stances.
He said that it isn’t necessary for every country in ASEAN for example to have a common position on every issue, especially non-regional issues.
“Other countries may have a position that is opposite ours or be more neutral, but we can only be responsible for our position,” he said.
