‘We will never leave you’: Anwar arriving at the solidarity rally for Palestine at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has approved an additional RM100mil in aid to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced.
He said the government had first pledged RM100mil in 2023, and the latest commitment would double the total contribution.
“Tonight, I announce that Malaysia will donate another RM100mil. I urge Malaysians to remember that this country is peaceful and independent.
“Cherish this, and preserve peace and freedom for all,” he said in a special address at Dataran Merdeka yesterday.
Anwar delivered one of his strongest condemnations yet of the Israeli government, accusing it of orchestrating a man-made famine in Gaza.
“All kinds of aid were sent, but the Zionists allowed it to rot at the border.
“What kind of human does this? This is an animal! People are dying and starving, while food and medicine are kept away.
“I am 78 years old, and I have never seen such cruelty. (Benjamin) Netanyahu and his goons are insane and evil,” he declared.
He stressed that Malaysians would never abandon the Palestinian struggle.
“We salute your spirit of resistance, and we will never leave you alone. Malaysians, together with many others, stand with you,” he said.
Reflecting on his long involvement in the cause, Anwar recalled being invited by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to attend a Palestinian Liberation Organisation conference in Algiers in 1983.
“Now, in 2025, the struggle remains the same,” he said.
He also framed the war in Gaza as a continuation of colonisation.
He said that Malaysia, once colonised by the British before 1957, will never accept colonisation in any form.
Quoting the late Palestinian-American academic Edward Said, Anwar said the crisis had been described as “politics of dispossession”.
“It means everything you own is taken away – your land, water, house, family, children, even babies. Everything is taken,” he said.
After Anwar delivered his speech, a prayer session for Gaza was held, including the recitation of Qunut Nazilah.
Anwar, who arrived at about 9.05pm, left Dataran Merdeka at about 10.20pm.
Also present were Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Tens of thousands gathered at Dataran Merdeka, many dressed in white and holding placards with the slogan #GazaBangkit as a show of solidarity.
Anwar also launched the Sumud Nusantara Convoy, a multinational effort involving eight countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The convoy will set off in two groups on Aug 31 and Sept 4, travelling via Spain and Tunisia before joining the Global Flotilla bound for Gaza.
The flotilla, expected to be the largest of its kind, will comprise dozens of ships and participants from more than 50 countries.
