Treat Palestinian issue as a humanitarian issue

IN Malaysia, the narrative for the long-standing Palestinian issue has been largely formulated and driven by Muslims, with support from the government. Not surprisingly, non-Muslims in Malaysia feel disconnected from the issue, which is perceived as confined to Muslims, or Arabs, only. On the contrary, while there are religious and historical dimensions, the issue is a humanitarian one and should be recognised and treated as such.

For decades, the Israeli Zionist regime has been inflicting injustices upon the Palestinians, not only through the recent desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest mosque, last month but also through numerous ongoing human rights violations. In the recent escalation, a tower in Gaza that housed international media establishments was destroyed through a targeted Israeli air raid at the peak of the hostilities. In all, more than 200 people perished, including more than 60 Palestinian children.