Youth join hands to condemn Israeli aggression

KUALA LUMPUR: For the first time ever, Barisan Nasional and Opposition parties set aside their political differences and came together to form a Coalition of Malaysian Youth to unanimously condemn Israel's attack on Lebanon.  

The coalition, which held a big gathering at the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka hall here last night, comprises Umno Youth, MCA Youth, MIC Youth, DAP Youth, Parti Keadilan Rakyat Youth, Gerakan Youth and PAS Youth. 

It also issued a declaration which said that Israel's attack on Lebanon was a humanitarian and peace issue.  

The declaration also condemned Israel’s kidnapping and detention of the Hamas leader and the Palestine Deputy Prime Minister and called for a ceasefire as declared by the United Nations Security Council. 

It also called for the immediate deployment of peacekeepers, including from Malaysia, to ensure the ceasefire order was adhered to.  

It also demanded that the United Nations set up a special tribunal to charge and put on trial any Israeli leader and army chief who had committed wrong against humanity in Lebanon and Palestine. 

The gathering last night was a show of unity for the cause of peace in the Middle East despite an earlier breaking of a pledge to set aside partisan views. 

Parti Keadilan deputy youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin earlier blamed the Organisation of the Islamic Conference for only coming up with the Putrajaya Declaration two weeks after Lebanon was bombed by Israel, and said the OIC would have been more effective if Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim were chairman. 

He was chided by the others, including Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, who said that such a statement was “narrow minded”.