South East Asian jihadi conflicts have not been motivated by the Israel- Palestine issue,but Penny Wong's recognition of Palestine will strengthen HAMAS and its ability to finance and arm local jihadis

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

Hamas Terror Cell Received Advanced Training in Malaysia

South East Asian jihadi conflicts   have not been motivated by the Israel- Palestine issue. That is a matter of history, which Penny Wong should understand better than most given her home state Sabah's role in providing a base for Muslim Bangsamoro rebels who fought the Philippines Government for control of Mindanao. 

Then there is the ongoing insurgency in Southern Thailand ,where Muslim Pattani rebels are trying to create a new Muslim state, more closely aligned to Malaysia.

Closer to home in Indonesia the situation, at best, remains fluid, with jihadis  driven by local and regional objectives. 

None of these have been mtoivated by the Israel-Palestine conflict,  but Penny Wong's recognition of Palestine will strengthen HAMAS and its ability to finance and arm local jihadis.HAMAS has made clear that it considers Malaysia its gateway to Asia. 

To Be Read With 

Friday, April 12, 2024

Penny Wong consulted Malaysia about recognising a Palestinian state -Malaysia does not recognise Israel's right to exist, Malaysian government and media's word for Israel is "Zionist Regime"

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

                 Penny Wong and Anwar Ibrahim

As reported by the AFR:

Foreign Minister Penny Wong canvassed extensively with a series of international counterparts, including UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and ministers from key Muslim countries before announcing Australia could potentially recognise Palestinian statehood.

Over the past month or so, Senator Wong has spoken to foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan – the first two Arab countries to recognise neighbouring Israel – as well as a slew of South-East Asian ministers at Melbourne’s ASEAN summit, including Malaysia and Indonesia, two big international champions of the Palestinian cause.

Malaysia's does not recognise Israel's right to exist. That determination is reflected in  Malaysian government and media statements in which  even the  word  Israel is forbidden. The word  "Zionist Regime" is used instead.

As reported previously, Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim (who effectively runs the government, over-riding his ministers) has insisted that he will always support HAMAS. 

Wong cannot but be at least aware that her two state proposal really means the end of Israel as it currently exists.

Friday, April 12, 2024

Albanese and Wong may fantasise about a Gaza , Palestine without HAMAS , but HAMAS will be active in Asia, and Australia - In 2019 Hamas said considers Malaysia its gateway to Asia

by Ganesh Sahathevan



Labor ignored warning of UNRWA links to Hamas -The Australian 

As reported by the AFR:

Foreign Minister Penny Wong canvassed extensively with a series of international counterparts, including UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and ministers from key Muslim countries before announcing Australia could potentially recognise Palestinian statehood.

Over the past month or so, Senator Wong has spoken to foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan – the first two Arab countries to recognise neighbouring Israel – as well as a slew of South-East Asian ministers at Melbourne’s ASEAN summit, including Malaysia and Indonesia, two big international champions of the Palestinian cause.

Meanwhile in Malaysia 

"I said that we, as a policy, have a relationship with Hamas from before and this will continue"-Anwar ibrahim

Hamas considers Malaysia its gateway to Asia

One of Malaysia's best connected, most reviled infrastcruture players will invest billions in Australian wind and solar

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

Gamuda has a long and illustrious history in its home country, Malaysia, as this writer well knows. In 1997  another reporter and he revealed that Gamuda was launching an IPO on the basis of an incomplete prospectus, based on a project funded by the Malaysian national superannuation fund at ridiculously low rates. We were sacked for doing so.

Gamuda's cash surpluses that are now enabling its expansion into Australian wind and solar, come from toll road operations imposed on users in Malaysia's Klang Valley.It is not unfair to say that it ranks among Malaysia's most reviled, for that that reason alone.

Then in 2003 the award of a highly lucrative Government  rail project to Gamuda and its partners  had one opposition politician questioning the propriety of the process , and another demanding it be cancelled.

Latley in 2021 Gamuda was again the news about its corrupt practises, this time this time with regards MRT project in Kuala Lumpur. 

TO BE READ WITH 

Malaysian giant plans to build up to 2GW Australian wind and solar in five years

Image: Gamuda Berhad

Sophie Vorrath

Mar 25, 2024

0

RENEWABLES

Malaysian infrastructure giant Gamuda Berhad has announced it will turn its Australian market focus to renewables, with plans to build a 1 to 2 gigawatt portfolio of wind and solar projects within five years.

Gamuda, which in Australia is developing three major road and rail projects worth a total of $4.5 billion, says it also intends to bid for major EPC contracts in solar, wind, pumped hydro and transmission network upgrades and expansion.

It says it aims to generate $2 billion revenue from energy projects alone over the coming half-decade.

“Our vision is to become a leading sustainable energy contractor and a key equity partner for the long term with a particular focus on solar, wind, pumped hydro and transmission,” said Gamuda CEO Ewan Yee.

“This vision builds upon our ongoing success in the Australia infrastructure market and is informed by our energy and water infrastructure experience across a number of projects globally. 

“We also see our demonstrated key strengths in completing complex large-scale linear construction, tunnelling, hydro and geotech in Australia as highly suited to now transition to energy projects,” Yee said.

This sort of skill set will be very welcome in Australia as the national push to 82 per cent renewables by 2030 gathers pace. Of particular interest is Gamuda Berhad’s shareholding in major Malaysian solar contracting company, ERS Energy, which offers access to a “robust” PV supply chain.

Jarred Hardman, Gamuda Engineering Australia’s chief strategy and growth officer, says the company brings with it a “ready to go” solution to help meet the rapidly approaching renewable targets.

“By looking to acquire development rights to shovel-ready projects we can construct and own in solar and wind, while we also secure EPC contracts in transmission and pumped hydro,” Hardman says.

“Our goal is to provide an end-to-end solution to fast-track energy projects and quickly gain a foothold, in keeping with our strategy in infrastructure which has seen us build a $4.5 billion workbook within two to three years.”

Gamuda’s push into Australian renewables follows that of Malaysia oil giant Petronas, whose renewables arm Gentari last year unveiled plans to build a portfolio of up to 8GW of solar, wind and storage capacity in Australia.

Gentari in February 2023 year took control of Wirsol Australia, a leading solar developer, before unveiling the company’s rebranding and expansion plans at a launch event in Sydney in September.

The company’s plans include big investments in India, Malaysia, and between 5GW and 8GW of renewables and storage capacity in Australia, with a mix of green fields development and buying existing assets.

Sophie Vorrath

Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. She is the co-host of the Solar Insiders Podcast. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.

Penny Wong consulted Malaysia about recognising a Palestinian state -Malaysia does not recognise Israel's right to exist, Malaysian government and media's word for Israel is "Zionist Regime"

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

                 Penny Wong and Anwar Ibrahim

As reported by the AFR:

Foreign Minister Penny Wong canvassed extensively with a series of international counterparts, including UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and ministers from key Muslim countries before announcing Australia could potentially recognise Palestinian statehood.

Over the past month or so, Senator Wong has spoken to foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan – the first two Arab countries to recognise neighbouring Israel – as well as a slew of South-East Asian ministers at Melbourne’s ASEAN summit, including Malaysia and Indonesia, two big international champions of the Palestinian cause.

Malaysia's does not recognise Israel's right to exist. That determination is reflected in  Malaysian government and media statements in which  even the  word  Israel is forbidden. The word  "Zionist Regime" is used instead.

As reported previously, Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim (who effectively runs the government, over-riding his ministers) has insisted that he will always support HAMAS. 

Wong cannot but be at least aware that her two state proposal really means the end of Israel as it currently exists.

Friday, April 12, 2024

Albanese and Wong may fantasise about a Gaza , Palestine without HAMAS , but HAMAS will be active in Asia, and Australia - In 2019 Hamas said considers Malaysia its gateway to Asia

by Ganesh Sahathevan



Labor ignored warning of UNRWA links to Hamas -The Australian 

As reported by the AFR:

Foreign Minister Penny Wong canvassed extensively with a series of international counterparts, including UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and ministers from key Muslim countries before announcing Australia could potentially recognise Palestinian statehood.

Over the past month or so, Senator Wong has spoken to foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan – the first two Arab countries to recognise neighbouring Israel – as well as a slew of South-East Asian ministers at Melbourne’s ASEAN summit, including Malaysia and Indonesia, two big international champions of the Palestinian cause.

Meanwhile in Malaysia 

"I said that we, as a policy, have a relationship with Hamas from before and this will continue"-Anwar ibrahim

Hamas considers Malaysia its gateway to Asia

June 25, 2019 at 11:26 am

In recent months, Malaysia has witnessed a series of successive visits by high-ranking delegations from Hamas, indicating the growing ties between these two parties at a time when the movement is facing a tight political siege by many Arab countries.

Hamas’ most recent visit to Malaysia late last month came under the chairmanship of its former head of office, Khaled Meshaal. The program was crowded with meetings between Hamas’ leaders, the Malaysian government and opposition political leaders, in a rare scene among the movement’s visits to various countries.

Hamas started its visit to Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur by meeting with Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad, as well as then Interior Minister and Head of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu Party), Muhyiddin Yassin, and Defense Minister Mohamad Bin Sabu.

The group also met with Head of the People’s Justice Party, Anwar Ibrahim, Head of the opposition United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Party, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Leader of the Malaysian Islamic Party Abdul HadiAwang, Minister of Federal Territories Khalid Abdul Samad, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Marzuki Yahya.

In his highly-publicised meetings, Meshaal discussed the challenges the Palestinian people are currently facing, among which are Israeli violations against Jerusalem, the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip’s ongoing siege.

Hamas’ delegation also discussed with its Malaysian hosts the “deal of the century”, considering it a plan to undermine the Palestinian cause. The visit resulted in positive outcomes, the most important of which was Malaysia’s offering of 140 scholarships for Palestinian students to attend 13 Malaysian universities, at a cost of $3 million.

READ : Malaysia PM, ex-Hamas chief discuss ‘deal of the century’

A long history of relations

Prior to Meshaal’s visit, Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh contacted Prime Minister Bin Mohamad in January to emphasise the importance of the bilateral relationship between Malaysia and Palestine in general and Hamas in particular. He praised Malaysia’s support for the Gaza Strip and pointed to Mahathir’s speech at the United Nations – which held Israel responsible for the problems in the Middle East – as well as commended the prime minister’s commitment to the Palestinian cause and Malaysia’s rejection of normalisation with Israel.

Chairman of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh speaks during the funeral of Palestinian teenagers Louay Kahil and Amir Al-Namara, who were killed in an Israeli air strike at a mosque during their funeral in Gaza City on 15 July, 2018 [Ashraf Amra/Apaimages]

In July 2017, a delegation of Hamas leaders concluded a series of meetings with Malaysian government officials and party leaders. The delegation was headed by senior representative of Hamas in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, who met Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Both discussed the developments of the Palestinian cause and Malaysia’s support for the Palestinian people.

The delegation also held a meeting with the Secretary General of the ruling UMNO party, Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor, as well as a meeting with Head of the Malaysian Islamic Party and Vice President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Abdul HadiAwang. In addition, another meeting was held with the leadership of the National Mandate Party and representatives of Malaysian civil society and NGOs.

Hamas’ delegation also participated in the closing ceremony of the Fourth World Assembly of the Unity of the Nation, organised by the Malaysian Islamic Party in the city of Kota Bharu in the north-eastern state of Kelantan. Hamdan delivered a public speech attended by tens of thousands of people.

READ: Malaysia government defends offer of grants to Palestine

In December 2016, Hamas leaders participated in UMNO’s annual general conference. There they met with government and local officials, as well as representatives of civil society organisations. The Malaysian officials were briefed on the latest developments in Palestine, discussing ways to support the Palestinian people and praising the bilateral relationship between the movement and the party.

In December 2015, Meshaal arrived in Kuala Lumpur heading a delegation of the movement’s leadership, at the official invitation of the Malaysian ruling party to attend its annual conference. The delegation’s program included official and popular visits and a speech by Meshaal.

Hamas’ first visit to Malaysia was in December 2013, during which a senior Hamas delegation led by Meshaal held official meetings with the Malaysian Prime Minister and the foreign affairs and interior ministries. The delegation also participated in a key speech at the International Forum of the ruling party, as well as another speech at the International Islamic University in Malaysia, in the presence of a large number of academics and members of the Arab and Islamic communities.

READ: Malaysia condemns Israel aggression against Gaza protesters

Popular support for Palestine

Muslim Imran, a well-known Palestinian figure living in Malaysia for 15 years, runs a Palestinian organisation in the country and is one of the key figures behind Malaysia’s relationship with the Palestinians. Malaysia’s support for Palestine has been strong historically, with thousands of Malaysians demonstrating throughout the country condemning any Israeli aggression against Palestinians.

During the 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza, one Malaysian village named its bridge after Gaza; the Palestinian flag has been raised in the village since 2008. The Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, changed the program of his official visit to the UK during the 2014 war, instead taking part in a march through UK capital London to condemn the assault.

Rescue workers search for victims after air strikes hit Gaza during the 2014 Israeli offensive against Gaza [Ashraf Amra/Apaimages]

Then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mohammad Najib Razak, arrived in Gaza in January 2013, shortly after the 2012 war Israel waged on the already-besieged Strip. He expressed regret over the assassination of Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari during the war and laid the foundation stone for one of the buildings bombed by the Israeli army, which was at that time being reconstructed.

Malaysian Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Ismail Sabri, announced the closure of his account at HSBC and shared footage of him cutting up his bank card, in a move to denounce the bank’s closure of accounts belonging to advocates of the Palestinian cause. Malaysian delegations also continued participating in the convoys aimed at breaking the siege on Gaza, as well as contributing to a number of reconstruction projects in Gaza such as the Indonesian hospital, mosques and others.

Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, inaugurated the “Save Jerusalem” campaign at the largest mosque in Putrajaya – Malaysia’s federal administrative centre – with the participation of 27 representatives belonging to Islamic and human rights organisations.

The Malaysians’ support and advocacy campaigns ranged between demonstrations, lectures, conferences and fundraising for Palestinians. In 2014, Mahathir Mohamad – who was outside the government at that time – launched an international tribunal in Kuala Lumpur to try Israeli war criminals for their crimes in Palestine and Lebanon.

READ: Malaysia PM reiterates support for Palestine

Looking forward

Relations between Hamas and Malaysia have accelerated in recent years in an unmistakable way, given that the Malaysian government’s hosting of delegations of the Resistance Movement repeatedly reflects a clear recognition of its role and activities as a legitimate resistance group.

Hamas considers these official communications with Kuala Lumpur an opportunity to encourage Malaysia’s role at the regional, Islamic and international levels in supporting the Palestinian cause, lifting the siege on Gaza and ending Israeli violations in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

All this means that there are close, strong ties that link Malaysia to the Palestinian issue in general and Hamas in particular. This prompted Mahmoud Al-Habbash, the Palestinian justice judge who is close to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to invite Malaysia, during his visit in late May, to support reconciliation with Hamas and use its influence in the movement to put an end to division between the Palestinian factions.

READ: Palestinian sports ministry thanks Malaysia for Israel athlete ban

On the other hand, Israel is not satisfied with the thriving relations between Malaysia and Hamas. This sense of discontent was manifested in the assassination of Engineer Fadi Al-Batsh, a Hamas military leader in Kuala Lumpur in April 2018, on charges of manufacturing rockets.

Israel used the assassination of Al-Batsh to create an atmosphere of anxiety among Hamas cadres in Malaysia. It regularly refers to what it calls the Malaysia-Turkey-Hamas axis which, Israel claims, recruits Palestinian academics from the movement to study and receive training, before going back to the occupied Palestinian territories to build military infrastructure and sleeper cells which can be summoned when needed.

The Malaysian government denies these Israeli accusations and confirms that its assistance to the Palestinians is limited to political and humanitarian needs, through the Zakat committees and financial aid provided to the Palestinians.

Finally, it can be concluded that this series of visits by Hamas leaders to Malaysia, and the presence of clear Malaysian imprints in the field of humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip, clearly indicate the desire of the two sides to strengthen their bilateral relations.

The thriving relations between Hamas and Malaysia raise Israeli objections and uneasiness towards some countries in the region, which want to continue to besiege Hamas politically. This is especially relevant in view of the fact that Malaysia’s positions are consistent with influential countries in the region, leading to the establishment of a growing axis that consists of Qatar, Turkey and Iran. All these countries share strong and close relations with Hamas.

Malaysia: Israel a ‘state of robbers’

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor

Albanese and Wong may fantasise about a Gaza , Palestine without HAMAS , but HAMAS will be active in Asia, and Australia - In 2019 Hamas said considers Malaysia its gateway to Asia

by Ganesh Sahathevan



Labor ignored warning of UNRWA links to Hamas -The Australian 

As reported by the AFR:

Foreign Minister Penny Wong canvassed extensively with a series of international counterparts, including UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and ministers from key Muslim countries before announcing Australia could potentially recognise Palestinian statehood.

Over the past month or so, Senator Wong has spoken to foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan – the first two Arab countries to recognise neighbouring Israel – as well as a slew of South-East Asian ministers at Melbourne’s ASEAN summit, including Malaysia and Indonesia, two big international champions of the Palestinian cause.

Meanwhile in Malaysia 

"I said that we, as a policy, have a relationship with Hamas from before and this will continue"-Anwar ibrahim

Hamas considers Malaysia its gateway to Asia

June 25, 2019 at 11:26 am

In recent months, Malaysia has witnessed a series of successive visits by high-ranking delegations from Hamas, indicating the growing ties between these two parties at a time when the movement is facing a tight political siege by many Arab countries.

Hamas’ most recent visit to Malaysia late last month came under the chairmanship of its former head of office, Khaled Meshaal. The program was crowded with meetings between Hamas’ leaders, the Malaysian government and opposition political leaders, in a rare scene among the movement’s visits to various countries.

Hamas started its visit to Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur by meeting with Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad, as well as then Interior Minister and Head of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu Party), Muhyiddin Yassin, and Defense Minister Mohamad Bin Sabu.

The group also met with Head of the People’s Justice Party, Anwar Ibrahim, Head of the opposition United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Party, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Leader of the Malaysian Islamic Party Abdul HadiAwang, Minister of Federal Territories Khalid Abdul Samad, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Marzuki Yahya.

In his highly-publicised meetings, Meshaal discussed the challenges the Palestinian people are currently facing, among which are Israeli violations against Jerusalem, the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip’s ongoing siege.

Hamas’ delegation also discussed with its Malaysian hosts the “deal of the century”, considering it a plan to undermine the Palestinian cause. The visit resulted in positive outcomes, the most important of which was Malaysia’s offering of 140 scholarships for Palestinian students to attend 13 Malaysian universities, at a cost of $3 million.

READ : Malaysia PM, ex-Hamas chief discuss ‘deal of the century’

A long history of relations

Prior to Meshaal’s visit, Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh contacted Prime Minister Bin Mohamad in January to emphasise the importance of the bilateral relationship between Malaysia and Palestine in general and Hamas in particular. He praised Malaysia’s support for the Gaza Strip and pointed to Mahathir’s speech at the United Nations – which held Israel responsible for the problems in the Middle East – as well as commended the prime minister’s commitment to the Palestinian cause and Malaysia’s rejection of normalisation with Israel.

Chairman of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh speaks during the funeral of Palestinian teenagers Louay Kahil and Amir Al-Namara, who were killed in an Israeli air strike at a mosque during their funeral in Gaza City on 15 July, 2018 [Ashraf Amra/Apaimages]

In July 2017, a delegation of Hamas leaders concluded a series of meetings with Malaysian government officials and party leaders. The delegation was headed by senior representative of Hamas in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, who met Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Both discussed the developments of the Palestinian cause and Malaysia’s support for the Palestinian people.

The delegation also held a meeting with the Secretary General of the ruling UMNO party, Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor, as well as a meeting with Head of the Malaysian Islamic Party and Vice President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Abdul HadiAwang. In addition, another meeting was held with the leadership of the National Mandate Party and representatives of Malaysian civil society and NGOs.

Hamas’ delegation also participated in the closing ceremony of the Fourth World Assembly of the Unity of the Nation, organised by the Malaysian Islamic Party in the city of Kota Bharu in the north-eastern state of Kelantan. Hamdan delivered a public speech attended by tens of thousands of people.

READ: Malaysia government defends offer of grants to Palestine

In December 2016, Hamas leaders participated in UMNO’s annual general conference. There they met with government and local officials, as well as representatives of civil society organisations. The Malaysian officials were briefed on the latest developments in Palestine, discussing ways to support the Palestinian people and praising the bilateral relationship between the movement and the party.

In December 2015, Meshaal arrived in Kuala Lumpur heading a delegation of the movement’s leadership, at the official invitation of the Malaysian ruling party to attend its annual conference. The delegation’s program included official and popular visits and a speech by Meshaal.

Hamas’ first visit to Malaysia was in December 2013, during which a senior Hamas delegation led by Meshaal held official meetings with the Malaysian Prime Minister and the foreign affairs and interior ministries. The delegation also participated in a key speech at the International Forum of the ruling party, as well as another speech at the International Islamic University in Malaysia, in the presence of a large number of academics and members of the Arab and Islamic communities.

READ: Malaysia condemns Israel aggression against Gaza protesters

Popular support for Palestine

Muslim Imran, a well-known Palestinian figure living in Malaysia for 15 years, runs a Palestinian organisation in the country and is one of the key figures behind Malaysia’s relationship with the Palestinians. Malaysia’s support for Palestine has been strong historically, with thousands of Malaysians demonstrating throughout the country condemning any Israeli aggression against Palestinians.

During the 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza, one Malaysian village named its bridge after Gaza; the Palestinian flag has been raised in the village since 2008. The Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, changed the program of his official visit to the UK during the 2014 war, instead taking part in a march through UK capital London to condemn the assault.

Rescue workers search for victims after air strikes hit Gaza during the 2014 Israeli offensive against Gaza [Ashraf Amra/Apaimages]

Then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mohammad Najib Razak, arrived in Gaza in January 2013, shortly after the 2012 war Israel waged on the already-besieged Strip. He expressed regret over the assassination of Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari during the war and laid the foundation stone for one of the buildings bombed by the Israeli army, which was at that time being reconstructed.

Malaysian Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Ismail Sabri, announced the closure of his account at HSBC and shared footage of him cutting up his bank card, in a move to denounce the bank’s closure of accounts belonging to advocates of the Palestinian cause. Malaysian delegations also continued participating in the convoys aimed at breaking the siege on Gaza, as well as contributing to a number of reconstruction projects in Gaza such as the Indonesian hospital, mosques and others.

Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, inaugurated the “Save Jerusalem” campaign at the largest mosque in Putrajaya – Malaysia’s federal administrative centre – with the participation of 27 representatives belonging to Islamic and human rights organisations.

The Malaysians’ support and advocacy campaigns ranged between demonstrations, lectures, conferences and fundraising for Palestinians. In 2014, Mahathir Mohamad – who was outside the government at that time – launched an international tribunal in Kuala Lumpur to try Israeli war criminals for their crimes in Palestine and Lebanon.

READ: Malaysia PM reiterates support for Palestine

Looking forward

Relations between Hamas and Malaysia have accelerated in recent years in an unmistakable way, given that the Malaysian government’s hosting of delegations of the Resistance Movement repeatedly reflects a clear recognition of its role and activities as a legitimate resistance group.

Hamas considers these official communications with Kuala Lumpur an opportunity to encourage Malaysia’s role at the regional, Islamic and international levels in supporting the Palestinian cause, lifting the siege on Gaza and ending Israeli violations in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

All this means that there are close, strong ties that link Malaysia to the Palestinian issue in general and Hamas in particular. This prompted Mahmoud Al-Habbash, the Palestinian justice judge who is close to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to invite Malaysia, during his visit in late May, to support reconciliation with Hamas and use its influence in the movement to put an end to division between the Palestinian factions.

READ: Palestinian sports ministry thanks Malaysia for Israel athlete ban

On the other hand, Israel is not satisfied with the thriving relations between Malaysia and Hamas. This sense of discontent was manifested in the assassination of Engineer Fadi Al-Batsh, a Hamas military leader in Kuala Lumpur in April 2018, on charges of manufacturing rockets.

Israel used the assassination of Al-Batsh to create an atmosphere of anxiety among Hamas cadres in Malaysia. It regularly refers to what it calls the Malaysia-Turkey-Hamas axis which, Israel claims, recruits Palestinian academics from the movement to study and receive training, before going back to the occupied Palestinian territories to build military infrastructure and sleeper cells which can be summoned when needed.

The Malaysian government denies these Israeli accusations and confirms that its assistance to the Palestinians is limited to political and humanitarian needs, through the Zakat committees and financial aid provided to the Palestinians.

Finally, it can be concluded that this series of visits by Hamas leaders to Malaysia, and the presence of clear Malaysian imprints in the field of humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip, clearly indicate the desire of the two sides to strengthen their bilateral relations.

The thriving relations between Hamas and Malaysia raise Israeli objections and uneasiness towards some countries in the region, which want to continue to besiege Hamas politically. This is especially relevant in view of the fact that Malaysia’s positions are consistent with influential countries in the region, leading to the establishment of a growing axis that consists of Qatar, Turkey and Iran. All these countries share strong and close relations with Hamas.

Malaysia: Israel a ‘state of robbers’

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor