Malaysia States It's Rejecting 'Pressure' to Condemn Hamas

Facts

• Earlier this week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim suggested that his administration has dismissed what he characterized as the West's 'pressuring attitude' to condemn Hamas in the Middle East conflict, adding that Kuala Lumpur's relationship with the group will continue.¹
• On Monday, Ibrahim told parliament, 'Hamas too won in Gaza freely through elections.' Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has repeatedly backed a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict.²
• In a social media post on Oct. 10, Ibrahim said his government would 'continue being together with the Palestinian struggle.'³
• This comes after Ibrahim had expressed 'solidarity' with Palestinians and criticized the international community for what he characterized as one-sided actions in Palestinian-Israeli relations.⁴
• Top Hamas leaders reportedly frequently visit Malaysia, then Prime Minister Najib Razak defied Israel's blockade on Gaza in 2013 and crossed into the Palestinian enclave on Hamas' invitation.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Reuters, ³Malaysia Now, ⁴AA and ⁵Today.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Engelsberg Ideas. Malaysia must be forthright in condemning any form of violence against innocent civilians. Ideological hues, political affiliations, and religious identities must not matter when horrific acts like the one carried out by Hamas last weekend are in question — no matter the geopolitical alliances. The victims of this terrorist attack deserve unconditional support from Kuala Lumpur.
• Narrative B, as provided by Al Jazeera. Western governments want other nations to take a stand similar to theirs on Hamas and Israel. However, Muslim-majority Malaysia has been a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights. It should come as no surprise that Malaysia is standing in firm solidarity with the Palestinian point of view in this conflict based on its longstanding historical relationships.