Malaysia renews Hamas backing, defying threat of US sanctions

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Palestinians had the right to defend themselves against Israel, and the Southeast Asian nation wouldn’t sever ties with Hamas because of US pressure.

US efforts to restrict external parties from supporting Hamas are unilateral and Malaysia will not recognize it, Anwar told Parliament on Tuesday. Malaysian leaders over the years have held regular communications with leaders of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.

“We continue our relations with Hamas, before and now,” Anwar said. “And we do not consider, punish Hamas as a terrorist organization.”

The Malaysian leader compared Hamas with Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress’s push to end apartheid in South Africa, saying “Palestine is colonized through apartheid, ethnic cleansing and now genocide. Hence, whatever happened is the legitimate right and struggle of the Palestinian people.”

Unlike Mandela, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for non-violent resistance, Hamas killed more than 1,400 Israelis and took around 240 people hostage in triggering the most recent bout of fighting. 

Anwar was responding to a question from an opposition lawmaker, who had sought the government’s stance on the US House of Representative’s Hamas International Financing Prevention Act. The bill was approved on Nov. 1 and imposes sanctions on foreign persons, agencies and governments that assist Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or their affiliates. 

The US is Malaysia’s third-largest trade partner. Last year, their bilateral commerce totaled about $77 billion, with Malaysia enjoying a trade surplus of $31.3 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Any strain in relations could possibly affect trade terms.

“I will not accept any threats, including this,” said Anwar. “This action is unilateral and not valid, because we as members of the United Nations only recognize decisions made by the UN Security Council.”

Malaysia will back efforts by any country — as well as representatives of the Palestinian people  — to bring a case against Israel to the International Criminal Court, Anwar added.

Israel’s military said it exchanged fire with Hamas, after Israeli forces advanced to encircle Gaza City. Gaza health officials said the death toll there has passed 10,000. The territory is run by Hamas.

Last week, former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad posted a video of a conversation with Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in which he describes the war as a “genocide” designed to kill as many Palestinians as possible. Haniyeh asks the 98-year-old to help sway Western and Israeli narratives, drawing parallels between Hamas and ISIS.