KUALA LUMPUR: Palestinian envoy Abdelaziz Abughoush characterized as ‘strange and weird’ remarks by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, in which he expressed his full support for efforts to protect the security of Israel.
“We are shocked and surprised by the weird statement in which he supported the security of Israel,” the Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia said in a statement here yesterday.
He pointed out that Palestine is the core issue for all the Muslim Ummah, and as such it is strange and weird to have such a statement from a Malaysian Muslim leader. Malaysia is a pioneer in supporting the Palestinian people and their just cause.
“We do not know who needs the security, actually — Israel has more than 200 types of nuclear weapons and an army armed to the teeth with all the lethal weapons.
“We do not know that the security is needed for the occupier or the occupied people of Palestine, who are being oppressed daily and facing illegal measures and inhuman practices by Israeli occupiers, who violate humanitarian law and international law and neglect all the good efforts of the international community for peace and stability in the the Middle East.”
Abughoush also thanked foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman for stating the Malaysian government’s stand on the matter.
“We are confident that the esteemed government and people of Malaysia will continue in their strong support for the people of Palestine and their just cause,” he said.
In his statement Sunday, Anifah said that the actions defined by Israel as necessary to safeguard the security of its country include massive military attacks on Gaza; indiscriminate arrests and detention of Palestinians; killing of Palestinians, including their leaders through bomb and missile attacks; and implementation of policies that suppress and victimise the Palestinians, such as confiscation of Palestinian homes and the building of illegal settlements by the Israelis on Palestinian land.
He said that the Malaysian government has never supported any of these actions. In fact, along with the international community, it criticises and strongly condemns such actions, which clearly violate international law.
Anifah said that the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser’s remark clearly reflected his acceptance and support for all the actions by Israel against the Palestinian people. —Bernama