Anwar warned not to compromise on Palestine as Malaysians mark one year of genocide

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been urged to be more vocal against Washington's support for Israel, as hundreds of Malaysians today gathered outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur to commemorate one year since Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 40,000 civilians.

A prominent civil society leader said it was important for Anwar to make Malaysia's position clear at every opportunity, including yesterday when he met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Laos.

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, who heads the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation(Mapim), urged Anwar not to compromise on Gaza even if Malaysia wanted to continue its trade relations with the US.

"This is because the US is now the only major supporter of Israel. So Malaysia must give that signal," he said, adding that Malaysia should speak out more strongly against Israeli atrocities as it prepares to assume the Asean chairmanship.

The comments signal growing signs of unease among local pro-Palestinian groups over what they see as Putrajaya softening its stance on Israel's war on Gaza, despite statements in the early days of the conflict condemning Washington and other Western powers for supporting the Zionist regime.

At the centre is Anwar's refusal to back down from his plan to sell a 30% stake in Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB) - the state-owned company that manages airports nationwide - to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a company owned by US investment giant BlackRock, which is accused of complicity in Israeli war crimes.

Anwar had stated that the government would not cut ties with companies close to Israel despite its policy of supporting the Palestinian resistance.

“What about companies that operate in the US, Germany or China but have ties to Israel? In the current situation, we cannot cut ties as it would affect the country's economy," he had said in comments that sparked a wave of condemnation from pro-Palestinian activists.

Today's protest is one of three planned by pro-Palestinian groups over the next three days to commemorate the start of the genocide in Gaza and show solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, which have been dragged into the conflict.

The protesters, meanwhile, were unable to deliver a memorandum to the US embassy condemning Washington's support for Israeli crimes, as they were not allowed to approach embassy gates.

There was also no representative from the embassy to receive the memorandum.

"We stated in the memorandum that the US must stop supplying weapons, end its complicity (with Israeli crimes) and implement the resolutions on Palestine," Azmi said at the gathering today, which was also attended by political parties, as well as Islamic and students groups.

He added that a copy of the memorandum would be handed over to Anwar and the Cabinet.

As with previous anti-Israel rallies, police refused to allow protesters to gather in front of the US embassy complex, a move criticised by vocal lawyer Rafique Rashid.

"We consider our country free and sovereign. We consider our country as a nation fighting against Israel, but just look at how Malaysians are prevented from approaching the US embassy," Rafique, who is also information chief of opposition party Pejuang, told the crowd.

He called on Malaysians to continue their boycott of products and brands that are considered pro-Israel.