Youth wings protest at US embassy

Umno and PAS rally against Trump’s Jerusalem move

KUALA LUMPUR: Members of Umno and PAS’ Youth wings put aside political rivalry to take to the streets to show their anger over US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

After Friday prayers, worshippers at the Tabung Haji mosque here made their way to the US Embassy chanting “Hancur Zionist” (Destroy the Zionists) and “Free Palestine”, among other things.

They also brought traffic along busy Jalan Tun Razak to a halt.

Later, several men were seen burning an effigy of Trump and stomping on it.

Police formed a human chain to control the crowd, while officers ordered people to stay across the road from the embassy.

Emotions ran high as other protesters tried to get closer to the embassy gates before being stopped by Federal Reserve Unit personnel.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin was allowed to approach the gates to pass a memorandum to the embassy.

The Youth wing’s memorandum said Trump’s decision showed disrespect for the peace process in the Middle East and ignorance of the Palestinian plight.

“We demand the US retract this decision immediately,” it said, calling for the United States to respect UN Security Council Resolution 478 which condemned Israel’s illegal occupation of Jerusalem.

Wangsa Maju OCPD Supt Mohamad Roy Suhaimi Sarif said that police will open an investigation paper because the assembly was considered illegal.

“We did not receive any notice about the gathering, which goes against the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012,” he said. “We will be following up with the organisers.”

Elsewhere, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he will attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s emergency meeting in Istanbul to discuss the matter.

He said Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had contacted him and wanted Malaysia to attend the meeting next week.

Palestine’s Hamas Diaspora head Dr Maher Salah, invited here to observe proceedings at the ongoing Umno general assembly, said Trump’s act will bring Muslims, Christians and the Arab world together to oppose it.

“The Hamas and Fatah movements’ rift is put on hold for the moment ... this is good for the Palestinian scenario,” he said.

MCA’s Religious Harmony Bureau also hit out at Trump’s move, calling it dangerous and having the potential to reignite tension and conflict in the region.

“Trump disregarded the Oslo Accords, a peace process aimed at achieving a treaty ... and at fulfilling Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” its secretary Chris Daniel Wong said in a statement.

“His unilateral decision breaks with international consensus on a highly emotional issue that is best left to negotiations.”