PUCHONG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Friday reiterated that the Malaysian government remains consistent and will continue to be vocal and firm in defending Palestinian rights.
He said the government also remains firm in upholding the rights of Palestine and its people to rebuild the country independently.
"The Gaza issue, everyone knows, is very troubling, but we (Malaysia) are firm in our stance with our friends, with Arab and Islamic countries to support Palestine.
"Our stance is that no other country has the right to determine the fate and rights of the Palestinian people,” he told reporters after performing Friday prayers at the As-Salam Mosque in Puchong Perdana here on Friday (Feb 14).
On Feb 4, United States (US) President Donald Trump reportedly said that the US will "take over” the Gaza Strip, shortly after proposing the permanent resettlement of Palestinians elsewhere.
Anwar had, on Jan 29, announced that Malaysia would build a school, hospital and mosque as an initial effort to assist in the reconstruction of Gaza through a collaboration with the people and private sector.
He said the reconstruction of Gaza would also involve joint efforts by the Japanese and Malaysian governments, which intend to establish and launch funds through the East Asia programme.
Anwar’s remarks followed the three-phased ceasefire agreement reached between the Hamas group and Israel, with the first phase spanning six weeks from Jan 26. - Bernama
