PM Anwar Ibrahim's SILENCE and lack of response to what Trump and US are saying/doing with regard the Palestinian Issue is most disturbing - If Mahathir was PM, I believe, it may be very different .. he would have spoken out hard and strong. PM Anwar, who represents Malaysia and Malaysians, need to be BRAVE and speak out against injustices and human rights violations - including against TRUMP.
On 21/1/2025 - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has congratulated President Donald Trump on his inauguration as 47th President of the United States. Anwar said he is looking forward to working with Trump to strengthen the robust, complementary and forward-looking ties between Malaysia and the US....Anwar should have also mentioned about working together for Justice and Human Rights?
Then, Trump proposed that Palestinians should leave Gaza and re-settle in neighbouring countries.. And, sadly our PM Anwar did not respond and condemn such an absurd proposal - did Malaysia even send a Protest Note to the US Embassy in Malaysia?
Palestinians have roundly condemned United States President Donald Trump’s proposal for them to be displaced from the Gaza Strip and sent to Egypt and Jordan – a suggestion that has raised concerns of ethnic cleansing. Trump on Saturday told reporters that it was time to “clean out” the besieged Gaza Strip, urging the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza, either temporarily or permanently. - Al-Jazeera, 26/1/2025
Then Trump talked about EXPELLING foreigners who were involved in pro-Palestinian protests, and again SILENCE from Anwar - this is very embarrassing for Malaysia and Malaysians, as we do believe in the freedom of speech/opinion, right to a peaceful assembly - and, thus Anwar could have spoken out asking Trump to respect human rights - and remind him that in a democracy, we must respect the right of individual persons to hold different views, even if you strongly disagree - A democratic government will not take actions against dissenters or those with a different opinion - or threaten to EXPEL them..
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests. - Reuters, 29/1/2025
The Trump White House instructed the Pentagon to release the hold imposed by the Biden administration on the supply of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, three Israeli officials told Axios. - Axios - Axios, 25/1/2025
The failure to RESPOND speedily on issues of injustice and human rights maybe seen as a WEAKNESS and an UNCARING attitude demonstrated by Malaysia... WE CARE and will speak out against violation of human rights and injustices whether it happens in Malaysia, or elsewhere in the world... The question must be asked whether our present Prime Minister represents the views and position of the Malaysian people, and if he does not, Malaysians should speak out - or even consider removing or changing Prime Minister.
AS it is Malaysia's position on the Palestine issue is UNCLEAR - does Malaysia take Position 1(non-agreement with the UN Partition Resolution/Plan of 1947, hence non acknowledgement of the State of Israel), or Position 2(recognition and acceptance the UN Resolution, and the 3-State solution - Israel(the Jewish State), the Palestinian State and an independently governed Jerusalem, which means the call must be for Israel to return to the 1947 Boundaries and the liberation of all other occupied/colonized territories, or Position 3 - which acknowledges the new border of Israel as the 1967 Borders(which includes some occupied/colonized territories??? see for more details in earlier blog post on Malaysia's Palestinian position.
All Anwar has said is that Malaysia is interested in re-construction of Gaza... to make money? The help that Malaysia has rendered to the Palestinians is commendable - but at this time to just talk about reconstruction ...and the Malaysia Wakaf City project is just falling short of what we expect from Malaysia. [One wonders when exactly did Malaysia plan this RM120 million Wakaf City Project, as media report says already RM40 million collected - was it before the ceasefire? Was Malaysia preparing this project when the killings/destruction was happening? I do not know what to say - Praise Malaysia for its foresight? ]
The Malaysia Wakaf City project in Gaza, set to be launched after Ramadan, will be the first model of Malaysia’s wakaf development in Palestine, showcasing the nation’s solidarity with the Palestinian people...The Malaysia Wakaf City project, estimated to cost RM120 million, spans 35.2 hectares of wakaf land in Gaza, with an agreement signed in February 2023. So far, RM40 million in wakaf donations have been collected. The development includes 14 wakaf apartment blocks, each representing a Malaysian state, a mosque designed after the Shah Alam Mosque, a Malaysian school, a recreational park, business premises under the Micro-Credit Khardul Hasan programme, a health clinic, and a water tank tower.
Remember also that Malaysia is still burdened with RM1.5 Trillion Debt, which Anwar increased it by about RM90 Billion in 2023, and possibly more in 2024?? In Malaysia, people are still suffering by reason of the increase in cost of living - and the removal of subsidies that Anwar has done, and is planning to do. Our healthcare is facing problems -...
US President Trump made a public proposal that amounts to 'ethnic cleansing'. He is proposing that the people of Gaza move out and re-settle in neighboring countries. He is sending 2,000 lb bombs, that former President Biden stopped from being sent to Israel. He is threatening to cancel student visas of students who took part in pro-Palestinian protests, which may very well include Malaysian and other ASEAN member country citizens.
What should Malaysia's Prime Minister do?1 - Shoot down Trump's absurd 'ethnic cleansing' proposal, and CLARIFY Malaysia's position. In the interim (a) Ask for the immediate withdrawal of all Israeli forces from GAZA, and ask the United Nations to immediately send in a UN Peace Keeping force, of which Malaysia will be a part, to keep the peace in Gaza; (b) Ask for the immediate withdrawal from all Occupied Territories back to its 1947 Borders for the time being - suggesting a UN Peacekeeping Force be also placed on all these Occupied Territories.
2 - The UN Peace Keeping Force, and the UN will facilitate a free and fair elections in Palestine so that we can have a NEW legitimate Palestinian Government(as elections have been delayed for so long);
3 - Immediate admission of Palestine as a UN Member State;
4 - Suggest that the UN Peace Keeping Force will act like a buffer between Isreali forces/settlers and the Palestinian People to ensure PEACE
5 - Malaysia should take the position that all war crimes committed by Palestinians and/or Israelis must be prosecuted and accorded a FAIR TRIAL - maybe even suggesting where these trials will take place???
And more concrete suggestions..
Will PM Anwar LEAD or just simply do the minimum to claim that Malaysia cares....?
What exactly is the position of the OTHER political parties - PAS, BERSATU, MUDA, PSM, PRM, .... Or even the parties in Pakatan Harapan like DAP or PKR > Silence of the parties and their leaders/MPs means they are OK with Anwar's position ????
Malaysia's position on Palestine must be determined by Malaysians maybe through Parliament - It is now dangerous to simply allow Anwar Ibrahim to be our spokesperson/representative and some the positions/statements made about Israel-Palestine maybe his OWN - but does not represent the position of the Malaysian people, held since MERDEKA and thereafter...
Anwar looks forward to working with Trump
The prime minister says he hopes to welcome the US president to Malaysia this year.
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president amid uncertainty surrounding foreign relations and tariff policies. (EPA Images pic) PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has congratulated US president Donald Trump on his inauguration and expressed his eagerness to strengthen US-Malaysia relations.
“I look forward to working with president Trump to strengthen the robust, complementary and forward-looking ties between Malaysia and the United States,” Anwar said.
With Malaysia taking over as Asean chair this year, Anwar hoped to welcome Trump to Malaysia in 2025.
“Trump brings a unique approach to addressing domestic and global challenges, as evidenced by his pivotal role in facilitating the Gaza ceasefire even before his inauguration,” said Anwar in a Facebook post.
“Malaysia stands ready to collaborate on shared priorities as the Trump administration strives to herald a new golden age for America.”
Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president today amid uncertainty surrounding foreign relations and tariff policies.
The US is Malaysia’s largest source of foreign investment and a vital player in Asia-Pacific geopolitics.
In November, Anwar congratulated Trump after the latter claimed victory in the US presidential election.
Anwar also said he hoped the
superpower would reinvigorate its engagement with Southeast Asia when
Malaysia assumes the Asean chairmanship this year. - FMT, 21/1/2025
Palestinians condemn Trump’s proposal to ‘clean out’ Gaza
Palestinian Authority rejects US president’s proposal as a violation of its ‘red lines’ as Gaza residents insist they will remain.
Trump on Saturday told reporters that it was time to “clean out” the besieged Gaza Strip, urging the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza, either temporarily or permanently.
The proposal was roundly rejected by Palestinians on Sunday, with the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) saying the proposal would violate its “red lines”, while Gaza residents insisted they would remain in the coastal enclave.
“It’s impossible for people to accept this,” Palestinian citizen Nafiz Halawa told Al Jazeera from Nuseirat in central Gaza. “The weak might leave because of the suffering they have endured, but the idea of us leaving our country … it’s absolutely impossible.”
Elham al-Shabli also rejected the idea. “If we wanted to leave, we would have done that a long time ago. The genocidal war they are waging will achieve nothing against the Palestinians and we will remain despite what happens,” she said.
The PA said in a statement that the plan “constitutes a blatant violation of the red lines we have consistently warned against”.
“We emphasise that the Palestinian people will never abandon their land or their holy sites, and we will not allow the repetition of the catastrophes (Nakba) of 1948 and 1967. Our people will remain steadfast and will not leave their homeland,” it said.
It urged Trump to sustain the Gaza ceasefire agreement, ensure full withdrawal of Israeli forces, establish the PA as the governing body in the enclave, and advance efforts towards the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza, said the US administration must abandon such proposals that align with Israeli “schemes” and conflict with the rights of the Palestinian people, who have already been resisting “the most heinous acts of genocide” and displacement since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023. - Al-Jazeera, 26/1/2025
US President Donald Trump on Saturday floated the idea that Jordan and Egypt should take more Palestinians from Gaza, where Israel's military actions have killed tens of thousands and created a dire humanitarian situation. The idea was welcomed by Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, but Palestinian groups including Islamic Jihad and Hamas vowed to oppose it.
On Saturday, Trump said he had spoken to Jordan's King Abdullah II about moving Palestinians out of Gaza. "I'd like Egypt to take people. And I'd like Jordan to take people," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after his call with Jordan's King Abdullah.
"It (Gaza) is literally a demolition site, almost everything is demolished and people are dying there, so I'd rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change," Trump said, adding that he expected to talk to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday.
Israel Welcomes The Idea
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a strong opponent of stopping the war in Gaza, welcomed Trump's proposal. "The idea of helping them find other places to start a better life is a great idea. After years of glorifying terrorism, they will be able to establish new and good lives in other places," Smotrich said in a statement.
"Only out-of-the-box thinking with new solutions will bring a solution of peace and security. I will, with God's help, work with the prime minister and the cabinet to ensure there is an operational plan to implement this as soon as possible," he added.
Most Gazans are Palestinian refugees or their descendants. Any attempt to move them from Gaza could evoke dark historical memories of what the Arab world calls the "Nakba" or catastrophe -- the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel's creation in 1948.
Palestinian Groups Oppose The Proposal
Palestinian group Islamic Jihad on Sunday condemned Trump's idea to relocate Gazans to Egypt and Jordan, calling it an encouragement of "war crimes".
Describing Trump's idea as "deplorable," the group, which fought a deadly war with Israel in Gaza alongside Hamas until a January 19 ceasefire, stated: "This proposal falls within the framework of encouraging war crimes and crimes against humanity by forcing our people to leave their land."
A senior Hamas official also said that it would oppose Trump's idea to relocate Gazans to Egypt and Jordan.
"As they have foiled every plan for displacement and alternative homelands over the decades, our people will also foil such projects," said Bassem Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau, told news agency AFP.
Situation In Gaza
The
latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was
triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas forces attacked Israel, killing
about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed more than 47,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies.
Trump administration to cancel student visas of pro-Palestinian protesters
Scoop: Trump lifts Biden's hold on 2,000-pound bombs to Israel
- Barak Ravid
Trump and Netanyahu at the White House in 2020. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The Trump White House instructed the Pentagon to release the hold imposed by the Biden administration on the supply of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, three Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: President Biden's decision to halt the delivery of one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs last May triggered one of the biggest crises the U.S-Israel relationship has faced during the 15-month war in Gaza.
State of play: The Israeli government was notified by the Pentagon about the release on Friday, an Israeli official said.
- The officials said that 1,800 MK-84 bombs, which were held in storage in the U.S., will be put on a ship and delivered to Israel in the coming days.
- "A lot of things that were ordered and paid for by Israel, but have not been sent by Biden, are now on their way!" President Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday.
Zoom in: The hold — which Biden used to protest Israel's invasion of Rafah — became a political symbol much more than a military operational issue, and was used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to mobilize Republicans against Biden.
- The Biden administration was concerned that Israel's use of the 2,000-pound bombs in densely populated areas of Gaza would cause significant civilian casualties.
- Netanyahu and his loyalists in Israel and the U.S. used Biden's decision to falsely claim there was a U.S. "arms embargo" on Israel.
- Biden's decision also generated significant criticism from the Jewish community in the U.S., which is mostly Democratic leaning.
- On the other hand, the hold did little to diminish progressives' criticism of Biden over his support for Israel.
What they're saying: The outgoing Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog told Axios a week ago that Trump was expected to release the bombs.
- "We believe that Trump is going to release, at the beginning of his term, the munitions that haven't been released until now by the Biden administration," Herzog said in an interview last Friday. - Axios, 25/1/2025
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Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation (MAPIM) chief executive officer Datuk Sani Araby - BERNAMApix KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Wakaf City project in Gaza, set to be launched after Ramadan, will be the first model of Malaysia’s wakaf development in Palestine, showcasing the nation’s solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation (MAPIM) chief executive officer, Datuk Sani Araby, said the initiative goes beyond humanitarian aid, serving as a sustainable effort that unites Malaysians from all backgrounds in support of Palestine.
Sani, who is also the founder and director of the Malaysia-Gaza Wakaf City Project, highlighted that the high-impact initiative is under the patronage of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He noted that the project aligns with Anwar’s role as an ASEAN leader advocating for Palestinian solidarity.
“This is not just an aid project but Malaysia’s first wakaf development model on Palestinian soil, setting an example for the world. It represents the unity of Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, working together to rebuild Gaza,” he said in a statement today.
Yesterday, Anwar announced that Malaysia and Japan had agreed to expedite Gaza’s reconstruction under the Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) initiative, with a special fund established to support rebuilding efforts.
The Malaysia Wakaf City project, estimated to cost RM120 million, spans 35.2 hectares of wakaf land in Gaza, with an agreement signed in February 2023. So far, RM40 million in wakaf donations have been collected.
The development includes 14 wakaf apartment blocks, each representing a Malaysian state, a mosque designed after the Shah Alam Mosque, a Malaysian school, a recreational park, business premises under the Micro-Credit Khardul Hasan programme, a health clinic, and a water tank tower.
Several state governments - Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan, Melaka, and Penang, along with JAKIM, the Malaysian Wakaf Foundation (YWM), and the Sultan of Selangor, who launched the Selangor-Gaza Ihsan Development Fund, have also contributed to the project.
Meanwhile, Sani noted that MAPIM, together with Cinta Gaza Malaysia (CGM) and Gagasan MyAqsa Defender, has built 10 mosques in Gaza and assisted in repairing hospitals, schools, and homes. These past efforts have laid the foundation for a long-term, sustainable wakaf city.
“Malaysia has made history with continuous humanitarian missions, including Ops Ihsan and emergency medical evacuations for Gaza families. Now, we are committed to rebuilding Gaza with a sustainable wakaf concept, ensuring a better future for the Palestinian people,“ he said. - Sun, 30/1/2025
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