If you're Arafat's close friend, why not retract pro-Israel statement, Anwar told

Bersatu has again urged Anwar Ibrahim to make clear his stand on Israel, saying the PKR chief's recent claim that he is Malaysia's "number one fighter for the Palestinians" has not put to rest concerns over a statement he made in 2012, in defence of the Zionist state.

Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu said Anwar must expressly retract the remarks published by The Wall Street Journal, in which he was quoted as saying that he would "support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel".

"I call on Anwar, as Pakatan Harapan's PM candidate, to immediately state whether or not he will retract the statement. The Israeli regime should receive a very clear message that the leaders of this country will never ever compromise with them," Faizal said in a statement.

He was responding to reports in which Anwar was quoted as saying that he had been championing the struggle of the Palestinians, days after Bersatu asked why an individual suspected of being a Mossad mercenary was photographed waving the PKR flag.

Raibafie Amdan, one of several suspects charged with the abduction of Omar ZM Albelbaisy Raeda in Kuala Lumpur last month, was pictured waving the PKR flag in a social media post by his wife Nidarahayu Zainal, who was also charged with the abduction. 

The incident sparked fears of Mossad’s reach in the country in order to carry out covert operations using local mercenaries.

PKR immediately distanced itself from the couple, saying it was beyond the party’s means to stop anyone in "their actions and choices".

But it brought back criticism of the PKR leader's controversial remarks on supporting Israel's security, which had drawn condemnation from the Palestinian embassy in Malaysia.

Arafat's close friend

Responding to Faizal, Anwar claimed he had been close to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

"Even when I was jailed, Yasser wrote a long letter to Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then prime minister, explaining that he was making a mistake putting me in jail," he was quoted by the Malay Mail as saying.

MalaysiaNow cannot independently verify Anwar's claim.

Speaking today, Faizal said if Anwar's claim was true, it should not be difficult for him to retract his statement in support of Israel. 

"Avoiding answers or giving vague explanations has become a characteristic of Anwar that many people know," he added.

He also said Anwar's claim that he was at the foreforent of the Palestinian struggle in Malaysia smacked of arrogance.

"I myself was arrested by Israeli commandos in 2010 along with five Malaysian activists while boarding the Rachel Corrie flotilla to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians," Faizal said.

"But I have never patted myself on the back and called myself the number one Palestinian fighter."