KUALA LUMPUR: Palestinian Christians have been victimised just as much as their Muslim brothers and sisters, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim while condemning Israel’s violence in Palestine.
“For those who continue to think or suggest that the atrocities committed against the Palestinians affect Muslims alone, let (me remind you) that the world’s most ancient Christian community resides in Palestine, totalling 47,000 based on a census conducted in 2017,” he said during Prime Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Oct 31).
"Palestinian Christians too have been driven out from their historic cities in large numbers and the underlying cause is the illegal Israeli occupation and apartheid policies.
"In this sordid history and the ongoing saga of cruelty, oppression and genocide, Palestine’s Muslim and Christian communities alike are helpless victims,” he added.
He said the Western media rarely presented the faces of Palestinian Christians, or if they are mentioned, they are usually portrayed as mere bystanders.
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“This is utterly wrong because Palestinian Christians have (also been victimised.
"The point I want to make here is that there are strong socio-cultural and spiritual connections between the Muslim and Christian communities which confer on Palestinians their unique collective identity,” he added.
He said the conflict cannot be taken as a war but a massacre of helpless people in Gaza, who for the last six decades have been incarcerated in the largest open-air prison in the world.
Anwar said this was a deliberate, calculated and cold-blooded attempt to decimate the Palestinian people.
“Unless we are made of wood or our hearts are cast in stone, it is impossible not to be moved, shocked and repulsed by the spectacle of killing and mayhem being perpetrated, even as we are gathered here in this august House,” he said.
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"The chilling statistics bear testimony to a tragedy of epic proportions: As of the latest report from the authorities in Gaza, 8,805 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 20,000 injured.
"Of the number killed, 3,600 are children. Entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses destroyed.
"This is nothing if not a grim and shocking testament to the relentless, indiscriminate onslaught of Israeli aggression, cruelty and inhumanity,” he added.
He said Malaysia condemned terrorism in all its forms, and categorically condemned the killing of innocents; taking women and children as hostages; bombing civilians, homes and hospitals; and the consequential massacre being carried out day and night by the Israeli forces.
“These criminal acts are in clear violation of the norms of international law. The actions taken by Israel, the cutting off of food, water, humanitarian aid and electricity, are violations of international law.
"As I stated at the UN General Assembly, the credibility of the international system itself is at stake and we must voice our opinion and encourage others to do so in order to preserve that system which seeks to uphold peace in the world.
"It is a fool’s errand to think that Malaysia is unaffected by what is happening in the world. We are a trading nation actively engaged in regional and international commercial and economic activities, proactively reaching out for foreign direct investments to drive our economic advancement.
"We have embarked on the difficult task, long ignored. Let me be clear, we will remain a fiercely independent nation and continue to express our position on the issue, for justice and freedom without fear or favour,” he added.
On Oct 7, during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack from Gaza, which saw a barrage of rockets being fired towards Israel and armed individuals breaching security barriers. In response, Israel retaliated with air strikes and military operations.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also rejected calls for a ceasefire, adding that it would constitute “surrender to terrorism”.
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