Malaysia leader vows to maintain ties with Hamas, calls for solidarity with Palestinians

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a news conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia on November 5. Fazry Ismail/AFP/Getty Images

Malaysia will maintain ties with Hamas and will not “punish the group as a terrorist organization,” Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Tuesday.

The comments were in reply to a lawmaker's question about whether Malaysia risks economic repercussions given calls in the United States — including a proposed bill — to clamp down on foreign supporters of the Palestinian Islamist militant group following its October 7 attack on Israel.

“I will not accept any threats,” Anwar said, referring to the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act, which passed the House of Representatives last week but still needs approval in the Senate.

“This action is unilateral and not valid, because we as members of the United Nations only recognize decisions made by the UN Security Council,” he added.

Muslim-majority Malaysia, and neighboring Indonesia, like many Middle Eastern nations, has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause for decades.

It has long maintained it will not diplomatically recognize Israel until a genuine two-state solution has been achieved giving Palestinians their own state.

Leading figures from Hamas — which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel — have previously traveled to Malaysia and met with government officials.

Anwar, who has personally championed the Palestinian cause since his days as a student protest leader in the late 1960s, has pushed back against pressure to distance his nation from Hamas and portrayed his government’s stance as part of a wider campaign to support the Palestinian people.

“Palestine is colonized through apartheid, ethnic cleansing and now genocide,” Anwar said during Tuesday’s parliamentary session.“Whatever happened is the legitimate right and struggle of the Palestinian people.

“All parties and members of the public should show solidarity in the issue of Palestine, rather than using it for politics.”

Malaysia rallies: On October 22, thousands of Malaysians waving Palestinian flags and carrying banners calling for peace gathered in the capital Kuala Lumpur to express solidarity with Palestinians. Two days later, during a separate pro-Palestinian rally at Malaysia's national stadium, Anwar said he rejected pressure from Western countries to condemn Hamas.

“Malaysia is a fiercely independent country. We decide what is right,” he said on stage at the rally. “We want the Arabs, Palestinians and people of Gaza to be treated as human beings. Nothing more, nothing less.”