Residential buildings damaged in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood following an Israeli airstrike, October 9, 2023. (Palestinian News Agency)
Malaysia has issued a pair of forceful condemnations within two days, reflecting Kuala Lumpur’s increasingly vocal opposition to Israel’s unilateral actions in the Middle East, which it regards as gross violations of international law and the desecration of Islamic symbols.
On June 2, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Israelis security forces’ forced occupation of Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling them “illegal Zionist Israeli settlers”. The Ministry labeled the action as the “Judaisation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” calling it both “abhorrent” and an insult against one of Islam’s holiest sites.
The statement stressed that the incursion was not only an affront to religious sanctity, but also an attempt “to change the reality on the ground, cultural and historical characteristics of the Holy Al Aqsa”, warning that such actions were intended to change the status of the Islamic symbols. As a result of this illegal action, Malaysia called on the international community to stop the aggression and “ensure full accountability of the Zionist Israeli regime”.
Just days earlier, on May 30, Malaysia issued a hard condemnation regarding the Israeli plan to occupy 70% of the Gaza Strip. Through a press release, Wisma Putra declared the move “illegal and politically unacceptable”, stressing that it violated international law, the United Nations (UN) Charter, and various UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.
The Ministry demanded that the international communities and the UN oppose Israel’s proposal, warning that the move manifested “blatant injustices” and would further destabilise an already volatile peace process.
Malaysia emphasised the grave implications for the “legitimate and inalienable rights” of the Palestinians, underlining that the backdrop of Israel’s plan to seize 70% of the Gaza Strip stemmed from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order to demolish Hamas, driven by domestic political pressures within Israel.
The Ministry reaffirmed its stance to side with the Palestinians, pointing to the border agreement in 1967 which ensured the existence of the State of Palestine and insisting that any attempt to undermine it must be rejected.
Malaysia’s hard and unyielding stance against Israel reflects Kuala Lumpur’s commitment to safeguarding Islamic solidarity and identity. Moreover, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has actively maintained this commitment on the world stage, through multilateral forums, bilateral diplomacy and the employment of blunt language that many of its regional peers have conspicuously avoided.
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