Malaysia never recognised Israel, stands firm with Palestinians, says PM

Malaysia never recognised Israel, stands firm with Palestinians, says PM

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today reiterated that Malaysia remains consistent in its stance on the issue of Israel and Palestine, emphasising that Putrajaya has never diplomatically recognised the existence of the state of Israel.

Anwar said Malaysia remains committed to supporting the Palestinian people’s struggle and at many international forums had never stopped voicing its opposition to the occupation and atrocities perpetrated by the Zionist regime.

He also said Malaysia did not send embassy officials or establish diplomatic relations with Israel as a protest measure against the oppression of the Palestinian people, Bernama reported.

“What needs to be understood is that we do not recognise Israel in terms of diplomatic relations and do not allow them to conduct trade or official activities in Malaysia,” Anwar told a press conference with Malaysian media in Lima, Peru, on Friday.

“In the context of the international system, some say ‘de facto’ and some say ‘de jure’. Israel exists as a country in the context of membership in the United Nations, but we still reject official recognition of the country,” he added.

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He was asked to comment on his interview on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with CNN’s Richard Quest recently.

Anwar was reported to have said that “Malaysia recognised Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself”, based on footage of the interview that has gone viral.

The prime minister also dismissed accusations and claims that he or the Malaysian government was “in collusion” with Israel.

“Such accusations are baseless and are slander that are deliberately created by certain parties for narrow political interests.

“Those who spread this slander do not understand the context of international politics, or maybe they are deliberately looking for reasons to distort the facts for a particular purpose.

“I want the people to understand that Malaysia continues to adhere to the principle of justice for Palestine,” Anwar said.

He added that at the Apec meeting held in Lima, Malaysia was the only country that had openly raised the Palestinian issue, even though the main theme of the discussion was economy and trade.

“How can we talk about the economy and free trade if the rights of a nation are denied? This is a matter of justice and Malaysia will continue to voice support for the Palestinian people wherever it is needed.”