Experts debate Jerusalem crisis
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians of all faiths should be more aware of the Israel-Palestine conflict as a humanitarian crisis rather than merely a religious issue.
Experts yesterday said United States president Donald Trump’s declaration that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel should be used as an opportunity to educate the public on the issue.
Organised by the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies Malaysia, the forum titled “Understanding the Jerusalem Contention” was heated despite being deliberated based on facts by the four-member panel.
Association of NextGen Christians of Malaysia (Ancom) adviser Jason Leong said the public must show undivided support for the cause and remove the belief that the Israel-Palestine conflict was exclusively for Muslims to worry about.
“There are Christian Palestinians being oppressed there. If they (people of other faiths) fear a backlash when they openly support (the Palestinian cause), at least there will be discussions about it.”
He said Ancom was the only local Christian group which had been a vocal advocate of Palestinian rights, and hoped that more would come forward soon.
He said Ancom planned to bring Palestinian pastors to Malaysia to talk about their struggles living on occupied land, so that they could provide another perspective to the issue for non-Muslims.
International Movement for a Just World president Dr Chandra Muzaffar said the creation of Israel was based on the myth that Jews were returning to a land without people, but in reality, indigenous Jews were already living in Palestine.
He said a single state where two groups of people of three different faiths lived in unity was a more likely end to the conflict.
Universiti Teknologi Mara Perdana School of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy geostrategist Associate Professor Dr Azmi Hassan said he was thankful that Trump signed the waiver acknowledging Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “because now the debate (on the Palestinian issue) is out there and we are talking about it”.
MyCARE chairman Associate Professor Dr Hafidzi Mohd Noor said Trump’s decision was proof that the US was a dishonest peace broker.
Hafidzi said the two-state solution was only “being talked about” to keep the public preoccupied while the ground realities in the occupied territory was changing.
Present was Palestine Ambassador to Malaysia Datuk Dr Anwar H. Al Agha and former Palestine Ambassador to Malaysia Tan Sri Ahmad Al-Farra.