SEREMBAN: Malaysia is prepared to receive 15 Palestinians who were released from Israeli jails and resettle them here, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic).
The Foreign Minister said Malaysia has been supporting the Palestinian struggle for decades.
“The resettlement of these prisoners to other countries is part of the deal between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on Jan 19.
“One of the conditions of the deal is some of the Palestinians released from Israeli jails will not be allowed to return to Gaza.
“Some of these Palestinians have been languishing in Israeli jails for up to 30 years.
“This is our small contribution to ensure peace in Gaza,” he said when met at the closing of the Khatam Al-Quran event organised by the Pekerti (Association of Wives of Barisan Nasional elected representatives and senior state government officials) to mark Nuzul Quran yesterday.
Mohamad said as a responsible member of the international community, this is also Malaysia’s contribution to a permanent peace solution in Palestine.
“Accepting this group will not be a burden to us. Some countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt have accepted millions,” he said.
Mohamad said Turkiye and Egypt have agreed to take in the bulk of these prisoners.
Other member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, like Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia, will also be taking part.
He expressed hope that Malaysians, who have always been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, would welcome these “freedom fighters” as Malaysia has been one of the major nations fiercely raising concerns over the mass killings in Palestine and the need for long-lasting peace.
Citing an example, Mohamad said Wisma Putra alone has raised RM99mil to help the Palestinians, of which RM67mil has already been disbursed.
He added that if all goes well, the Palestinians would be arriving in the country soon.
In 2016, Malaysia accepted 300 Syrian immigrants on humanitarian grounds after some four million Syrian refugees fled into neighbouring countries at the start of a civil war there in 2011.
“We are a peaceful, independent and neutral nation and this has been the foundation of our foreign policy since Merdeka.
“I will continue to raise the Palestinian problem during my engagements abroad until an independent and free Palestine is formed.
“We need to continue with this policy to bring an end to crimes against humanity and genocide,” he added.
On Sunday, it was reported that some 15 exiled Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons and had arrived in Turkiye.
The report said the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza saw Israel release some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, including over 270 serving life terms in connection with the murder of dozens of Israelis.
