Anwar Condemns Assassination Of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today condemned in the strongest possible terms the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

He said the assassination of the Political Bureau Chairman of the Hamas resistance movement in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, Iran, earlier today was a murder of the most heinous kind, plainly designed to derail ongoing talks aimed at ending the carnage in Gaza that has claimed over 40,000 lives.

“It is patently clear that this could only have been carried out in an environment of utter impunity.

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“Only the heedless and unconscionable will not see the need to intensify pressure on Israel to stop their murderous rampage.

“I am deeply concerned about what this tragedy would mean for the Palestinian people, who have already been so cruelly subjected to so much pain, hardship and suffering for so many decades.

“Detractors who have criticised me for meeting with Haniyeh in the past, fail to appreciate Haniyeh’s profound desire for a peaceful Middle East and a Palestinian nation restored to its rightful dignity.

“I mourn the loss of a dear friend and a valiant advocate for his people. Al-Fatihah,” he said in his latest post on Facebook.

With the post, Anwar also uploaded a video of him having a teleconference with Hamas Political Bureau member, Dr Basem Naim, during which he reiterated Malaysia’s stance in supporting the Palestinian struggle and fight for an independent Palestinian state.

“Ismail Haniyeh is one of the pillars in this (Palestinian) struggle and one of the things that is being fought for is a peaceful resolution to defend the rights of the Palestinian people.

“Clearly, there’s an element of sabotage. They don’t want this to succeed. They don’t want this peaceful resolution,” he said.

Anwar also expressed his anger at the failure of the international community to ensure peace and justice and defend the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people, saying that he would continue to do his level best to condemn the atrocities committed by the Zionist regime.

In response, Dr Basem also expressed confidence in the strong support from Anwar and all Malaysians, which he described as having been vocal and committed to supporting their cause.

-- BERNAMA