Anwar brings Malaysia's voice to world stage, urging other nations to support Palestine

RIYADH - As vocal as he has been in supporting the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza at the national level, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has indeed maintained the same tone on the global stage. His objective was simple - to get other countries to accept his call to put an end to Israeli brutality.

The Prime Minister does not want to be a 'champion' in the issue that has been going on for more than seven decades, he’s just not willing to see another Palestinian killed due to the tyranny of the Zionist regime.

As a human being and a Muslim, he does not want the children and women in Gaza to continue to be oppressed and to suffer as a result of Israel's criminal acts.

Judging from his statements regarding Palestine, it looks like he has made it his personal mission to fight for the issue.

"The Palestinians must be returned their land, homes and properties. They must be allowed to live in peace and dignity in their own sovereign state in internationally recognised borders, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," he stressed.

Anwar said in this highly challenging time with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that could widen into a regional and world conflict, Malaysia hoped that all nations would come together to find a long-lasting and just solution to this conflict.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict was among matters discussed by Malaysia with the Muslim World League here on Friday.

Anwar discussed the matter with the Secretary General of the Muslim World League Dr Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa during a visit to the league's office here.

In a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed, who is Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister, at the Al-Yamamah Palace on Saturday, he agreed with Anwar's view that it was an important issue in need of a solution, in addition to facilitating the distribution of humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine.

At the end of his visit, the Prime Minister told the Malaysian media that Malaysia is aware and expects repercussions from Western countries for championing the Palestinian cause, but will continue to highlight the plight of the Palestinian people at the international stage.

"Yes..(I know there are) many risks. I don't have any choice," he explained.

Anwar's two-day visit to Saudi Arabia also saw Malaysia and Saudi Arabia reach an agreement to strengthen bilateral relations and bring economic cooperation to a new level, by increasing joint ventures across various fields including high technology, aviation and green energy.