STOPPING all attacks against Palestinians and allowing aid to flow freely through war-torn Gaza should be prioritised before the “Board of Peace” rolls out, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
While the Prime Minister acknowledges the establishment of the board as a positive step towards pressuring Israel to halt its attacks, Malaysia maintains caution due to the lack of clarity surrounding its operations.
“The board has yet to clarify its objective.
“As for me, we must first stop all attacks on Palestine while also allowing room for aid to be continuously channelled.
“The ceasefire was previously signed, yet the Israeli Zionist regime attack continues until now,” he said during Prime Minister Question Time.
He was responding to a question from Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who asked about Malaysia’s stance on the establishment of the board.
Recently, US President Donald Trump announced the setting up of the board to oversee the rebuilding and reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip.
A founding executive board has also been formed to operationalise this initiative, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, former UK prime minister Sir Tony Blair, Marc Rowan, Ajay Banga and Robert Gabriel among its members.
Anwar said he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to obtain the complete list of those appointed to the board.
“Speculation is still rife. The upcoming Cabinet meeting will further deliberate on this,” he said, adding that he has also consulted Arab leaders for their views.
On a separate matter, Anwar said the Agreement of Reciprocal Trade (ART) between Malaysia and the United States has yet to be enforced.
The Prime Minister said there is room for Malaysia to provide feedback, with no deadline set for its implementation.
“This will also be further deliberated during the next Cabinet meeting to determine which aspects require amendments or additional clarifications,” he said in response to a question from Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PN-Sik).
He added that Malaysia is also seeking written assurance on several aspects of the agreement.
“While the US trade representative has provided assurance, we prefer for it to be in writing.
“These are among the things we are pursuing before the agreement is finalised,” he said.
Malaysia and the United States signed the ART on Oct 26 last year during the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur.
On foreign policy, Anwar said the nation must remain pragmatic, agile and flexible in its approach.
He stressed Malaysia’s commitment to remaining neutral, highlighting its relations with Asean countries and its commitments to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations, among others.
Anwar also cited relations with both the United States and China.
“The main thrust of our foreign policy is fairness and humanity. That is why we are consistently vocal about Gaza, even though this has caused unease in countries like the US,” he said.
He added that the drafting of the country’s foreign policy does not require any amendments to the Federal Constitution.
He was responding to an earlier question from Ahmad Tarmizi, who asked whether existing laws needed to be amended to ensure Malaysia remains neutral amid recent geopolitical developments.
