Malaysia will maintain ties with Hamas: Anwar

Malaysia will maintain ties with Hamas and will “not punish” the group, the country’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said.

Malaysians should “unanimously back” the Palestinian cause, the prime minister told parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Anwar was responding to a proposal by US lawmakers to sanction Hamas’s foreign supporters.

Analysts say this is also politically expedient in a country where support for Palestinians has long been bipartisan as well as widespread.

An opposition lawmaker had asked Mr Anwar about the Malaysian government’s stand after the US House of Representatives last week voted to sanction foreign supporters of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

“I will not accept any threats, including this... This action is unilateral and not valid, because we as members of the United Nations only recognise decisions made by the UN Security Council,” Mr Anwar said.

Malaysia, a Muslim-majority nation, has long advocated for the Palestinian cause. It does not recognise Israel diplomatically and has maintained that no such recognition will be given until a two-state solution - one for the Israelis and one for the Palestinians - is realised. Its capital, Kuala Lumpur, is a frequent host to conferences on Palestinian issues.

The 76-year-old Mr Anwar has also advocated for Palestinians since his university days. Like in many parts of the world, Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza have sparked mass gatherings and prayer rallies in Malaysia._Agencies