WITH Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) forging diplomatic ties, the situation is putting many Muslim majority countries in a dilemma including Malaysia, said an expert.
“Malaysia and a few other Muslims countries support the Palestinian cause and are opposed to Israel’s atrocities against them.
“But with UAE and other Middle Eastern countries normalising ties with the Zionist nation, the situation is becoming very complicated for us,” Arunachala Research & Consultancy Sdn Bhd principal consultant R Paneir Selvam told FocusM.
The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed US-brokered normalisation agreements with Israel, dubbed the “Abraham Accords”, in 2020. The two Gulf states and Israel share concerns about Iran and its regional allies.
Among others, Isaac Herzog discussed security and bilateral relations with the UAE’s de facto ruler Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Touching on the matter, Paneir Selvam said that many Middle Eastern countries are looking at normalising ties with Israel as they have one thing in common; lran as their common adversary.
“If you look at the ongoing conflict in Yemen, the Houthi rebels are being supported by Iran while the Government forces are backed by several Middle Eastern monarchs.
“Even in Palestine, there are a few factions fighting for their liberation from Israel’s aggression. For example, the Hamas is supported by Iran. The Hezbollah, which has a strong footing in Lebanon, is also supported by Iran.
“Hence, several Gulf countries feel it is in their best interest to forge ties with Israel, which has promised to provide security for them,” he opined.
Two state solution
As for the Israel-Palestine issue, the US poured fuel into the fire in the matter by declaring the whole of Jerusalem as the Zionist nation’s capital; a holy site dear to all three major Semitic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The rash decision by the US, Paneir Selvam added, would only give more fodder to terror groups across the world to launch attacks.
Despite UAE normalising ties with Israel, Paneir Selvam said Malaysia would continue to support the Palestinian people, who have become refugees in their own land.
“Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said it before. The Palestinian issue is being played up by terror groups to propagate their ideology based on hate,” he added.
Offering solutions, Paneir Selvam urged Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to pressure the international community so as to get Israel to abide by the Oslo Accord, which mooted the two-state solution.
“Malaysia, as a member of the OIC, must keep up the pressure on the matter. This conflict between Israel and Palestine has been going on for too long and we must work on the solution,” he concluded. – Feb 6, 2022.
