Malaysia’s Anwar to throw weight behind Palestinian cause on visit to Saudi Arabia, as he resists US pressure

On Tuesday, Anwar reiterated Malaysia’s firm support for the Palestinian people, stressing that the onus was on Israel to “abandon their adherence to the politics of dispossession”, negotiate an immediate ceasefire with Hamas and pursue a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict.

“It is crucial and paramount to prioritise the well-being and safety of all individuals affected by this crisis,” Anwar said after a Monday phone call with Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau.

Anwar on Monday told lawmakers in parliament that Western nations had been persuading Kuala Lumpur to condemn Hamas.

“I said that we, as a policy, have a relationship with Hamas from before, and this will continue,” Anwar said.

“As such, we don’t agree with their pressuring attitude, as Hamas, too, won in Gaza freely through elections, and Gazans chose them to lead,” he said, referring to the 2006 polls.

Hamas has not held elections in the territory since then, and is at odds with the Palestinian National Authority in power in the West Bank.

Malaysian pressure at Thursday’s summit may help build urgency among Asean and Arab nations to press for an end to Israel’s offensive and the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, said Collins Chong, a foreign policy analyst with Malaya University.

“The immediate priority and goal of the meeting will be to ensure violence and hostilities are stopped and for humanitarian aid and protection of civilians to be prioritised. This will get a good momentum following the ongoing regional diplomacy,” Chong told This Week in Asia.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forced south towards the Egyptian border after Israeli tanks massed to the north of Gaza, warning of an imminent ground offensive.

Anwar’s vocal pro-Palestine stance reflects decades of bonds, which broadly cross across the caustic domestic political divides of Malaysia.

“Malaysia has been well-known as among the most persistent and vocal leaders in championing the Palestinian cause, but it will need the unity and cohesion of the Arab world and a vast majority of the Global South” to impact Israel’s risk calculus, Chong said.

In a sign of the growing outcry in Malaysia, which is blowing across social media and loudly voiced in mosques, the education ministry on Monday withdrew from this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair – considered the world’s largest trade fair for books – accusing the organisers of taking a pro-Israel stance.

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The government has also handed over 1 million ringgit (US$211,100) in aid to Palestine, and pledged another 10 million ringgit in humanitarian aid.

Malaysia has over the years welcomed Hamas leaders who are denounced as terrorists by Israel and the West, and been accused of hosting an unofficial Hamas embassy masked as a cultural office, an accusation it denies.

In apparent response, a Hamas member working at a Kuala Lumpur university was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2018 and another Palestinian was kidnapped last year, allegedly by Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

“In terms of pressure, Malaysia is a relatively small player in the international stage. Even if Anwar is highly respected by the West, it takes more than Malaysia for the US to recalculate its position on this conflict,” said Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri, head of the political science department at the International Islamic University Malaysia.

In a sign of the treacherous diplomatic days ahead, Saudi Arabia has reportedly suspended US-driven talks on the “normalisation” of ties with Israel since the conflict erupted.

Malaysia’s influence may be felt most keenly through its role at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, experts say, adding to the crescendo of Muslim nations demanding an end to Israel’s assault on Gaza and a guarantee of the safety and security of civilians.

But in Saudi Arabia, there is still some leverage for Anwar, Syaza Farhana said.

“Saudi Arabia is also a close ally to the US. Having (Malaysia and Saudi Arabia) stand together would send a stronger message to the West, especially the US, to find a peaceful resolution,” she said.