Dr Mahathir receives courtesy call from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 22 -- Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad received a courtesy call from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his delegation at his office in Perdana Putra here today.

In several tweets with attached pictures on his Twitter handle @chedetoffical, Dr Mahathir said during their meeting, Ismail expressed his thanks to him (Dr Mahathir) for bringing fresh ideas related to the Islamic world through the organising of the Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) in December last year.

He said Ismail also expressed appreciation for his continuous support to the Palestinians.

“According to the Hamas leader, Malaysia has a very special position in the Islamic world,” he tweeted.

Also discussed were several matters related to the recent development and all the misfortunes that have befallen the Palestinians, he added.

Ismail arrived in Malaysia yesterday after visiting Iran, Oman, Turkey and Qatar over the past several weeks.

Meanwhile, a statement issued later by the Palestinian Culture Organisation Malaysia today said during the meeting both Dr Mahathir and Haniyeh reviewed the current Palestinian situation, especially the latest Israeli violations against Jerusalem and the open-ended Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Haniyeh stressed the importance of opposing Israeli plans and hailed Malaysia’s support for the Palestinians, while also acknowledging the courageous Malaysian leadership for its support of the rights of Palestinian citizens.

The Hamas delegation included senior members of its political bureau, Ezzat Al-Rishq, Nizar Awadallah and Maher Salah.

-- BERNAMA