PM: Humanitarian crisis in Palestine will affect not only Middle East

SAN FRANCISCO: The humanitarian crisis in Palestine is poised to affect not just Palestine or the broader Middle East but also leave an imprint on global relations for many years to come, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

"What’s happening today in Palestine will affect us all. The implications of this strife are significant and long-lasting.

"These are blatant violations of international law,” he said at a special lecture entitled: Super Power Rivalry and Rising Tensions in the Asia Pacific, at the University of California here on Tuesday (Nov 15).

According to Anwar, Malaysia has consistently called for a ceasefire and a stop to the incessant bombing of Gaza.

"As I had declared in the Malaysian Parliament, there are no two ways about it. We condemn terrorism in all its forms, and we categorically condemn the acts of killing innocent lives and taking women and children as hostages.

"Likewise, we unequivocally condemn the bombing of civilians, homes, and hospitals and the consequential atrocities against innocent lives, children, women, and men being carried out day and night in Gaza with impunity,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that Malaysia views this as a humanitarian crisis precipitated by a brutal and indiscriminate war.

"Ultimately, this isn’t about which God we pray to. After all, the more than 11,000 victims in Gaza comprise Muslims and Christians, as well as nationalities of various countries.

"This is about preventing more deaths, more suffering, and more hate. Proponents of the Palestinian cause are neither purveyors of hate speech nor supporters of terrorism,” he stressed.