Muslims must stand united to send message of peace in response to Israel's oppression of Palestine, says Mohd Sharkar

PETALING JAYA: Muslims in Malaysia must stand united to send a message of peace and security as they respond to actions by Israel’s Zionist regime on Palestinians, says Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin (pic).

The Umno supreme council member said Muslims need to break the violent and aggressive narrative that has long oppressed the Palestinians and replace it with something more positive.

"Palestinians need strong and unending support to liberate themselves from Israel’s occupation.

“Continued efforts are needed to form an independent and sovereign Palestine so Muslims need to stand in solidarity with the persecuted Palestinians,” Sharkar said on a Facebook post on Friday (May 14).

He said this form of solidarity will inspire the Palestinians to continue living their lives on their land.

“While we may not be able to be with our brethren in Palestine, prayer is a powerful weapon as we hope for their victory one day, timed in accordance with the Almighty’s plan,” said the Pahang Tourism, Culture, Environment, Plantation and Commodity exco member.

He said the Zionist regime’s oppression of Palestine is escalating and the death toll is rising.

“According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli aerial attacks on the Gaza strip have killed 83 Palestinians including 17 children and eight women while 487 people are reported injured since attacks began two days ago,” he said.

He said Israel has admitted that it has attacked Gaza 600 times while Hamas fighters launched 1,600 rockets towards Israel, most of which were successfully intercepted and destroyed.

Sharkar’s message comes in the heels of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s call for Muslim world to unite and come up with a strategic solution to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"Fighting for the sake of fighting or for the sake of taking revenge is not going to gain anything,” he said in the address "Call for Humanity and the Ummah on Palestine Issues and Condemning Israeli Cruelty" which was delivered on Facebook on Friday (May 14).

The former prime minister said it was important to get diplomatic recognition and go into the realm of diplomacy in order to explain the truth of the struggle and that the victims are the Palestinians.