KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 (NNN-Bernama) — The Malaysian Government does not recognise any unilateral decision made by any country, including the United States, to impose sanctions against individuals, agencies or countries supporting Hamas, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.
Instead, he said Malaysia only recognises decisions made by the United Nations (UN) that are multilateral in nature.
“We do not agree with the decision made by the United States and it will not influence our policies and decisions,” he said during Minister’s Question Time at the Parliament sitting.
Anwar said this in reply to a Member of Parliament who wanted to know the government’s stance on the recent decision of the United States House of Representatives to pass a Bill regarding sanctions on foreign entities that support Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.
The Prime Minister said he had contacted leaders of Islamic countries that share Malaysia’s views.
Anwar said Malaysia does not consider Hamas a terrorist organisation and has provided clear comparisons and rationale.
Anwar drew parallels with historical figures like former South African President Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC), who were once labelled as terrorists during their struggle against apartheid.
Worse still, he said Palestine was not only facing apartheid policies, but also ethnic cleansing, and genocide.
“Even though we did not ratify the Rome Statute, which means that we cannot bring this issue to the International Criminal Court, our stance is clear, we will support the cause of any country, including Palestine, in bringing cases of occupation, oppression, and injustice against the Palestinian people,” he said.
Regarding local media labelling Hamas as a terrorist organisation, Anwar said, by now, the media should understand the sensitivity and understand the Palestinians’ rights to protest and take action.
The Prime Minister also warned of stern action against individuals or entities associating him with Israel and making disrespectful statements.
