PM Anwar Says Global Hypocrisy Persists Over Gaza

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said global leadership continues to fall short in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning that hypocrisy and moral failure are undermining efforts to uphold justice and accountability.

“Well, to me I always use the term divorce of conscience, moral deficit. In fact, it’s hypocrisy and abandonment of reason and morality,” he said in an interview with Turkish public broadcaster, TRT World’s One on One programme, during his recent visit to Turkiye.

The prime minister undertook a three-day official visit to Turkiye starting Tuesday at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as part of efforts to further strengthen the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries.

Commenting further, Anwar said the scale of the crisis raised serious questions about the international community’s understanding of the historical roots of the Palestinian issue.

“You mean to say that after all that’s happening in the world, you still fail to understand historical antecedents of the Palestine? I don’t believe this,” he said.

He said the failure to grasp the issue could not be explained by ignorance alone.

“Except if you take a very strong fanatical Zionist line or racist line or anti-colour, whatever. But there’s no rhyme or reason why one cannot grasp,” he said.

Drawing comparisons with Europe’s own history, Anwar questioned whether humanity had learnt from past atrocities.

“So I remember in Germany, what happened to our humanity? What happened to our historical experience in Germany? Haven’t we learnt anything?” he said, noting that the lessons of history appeared to have been ignored.

Anwar said the situation in Gaza was not a recent development but reflected a continuation of colonial injustice.

“Colonialism should be over, done and dead, but colonialism is still alive. It’s thriving in Palestine, in Gaza, in front of billions of eyes,” he said, stressing that the suffering endured by Palestinians had persisted for decades.

“People are dying, people are being treated like slaves, and not this year not after Oct 7, for decades, for half a century, more than half a century,” he said.

Anwar warned that continued inaction by the international community would have broader consequences.

“This will only invite further anger, enmity, extremism,” he said.

On humanitarian access, he expressed frustration over the continued blockade of aid deliveries.

“Hundreds of containers are waiting, idle, to cross the border. And people are dying on the other side,” he said, highlighting the impact on civilians, particularly children who had died from hunger as a result of the blockade.

-- BERNAMA