Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, says that we should condemn the Muslims who are complicit in Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. He was addressing a conference on Palestine in Istanbul.

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Turkey hosted a three-day conference, titled "Palestine: The Linchpin of Civilization Renaissance" from October 5 to 7, to discuss Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, examining regional and international orders, its impacts, implications and future directions in the context of Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.

The conference also addressed several critical issues, including the moral and intellectual state of Western civilization, the role of Arab countries amid the ongoing Gaza war and the broader context of Palestine and the Islamic world.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, told the conference that we should condemn the Muslims who are complicit in Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. He was apparently referring to the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan who have established relations with Israel in recent years and declined to sever ties with Israel for genocide of Palestinians.

Israeli brutal war on Gaza over the past year has exposed the Jewish state's "deceit" and highlights the continuing struggle of Palestinians for a homeland, he said adding: The events that have unfolded since October 7 have seen the "collapse of the Israeli narrative and the world's realization of Zionist deceit.

"October 7 marks a significant day as Palestinians resolved to send a message to the world that they are determined to liberate their land after their cause was nearly forgotten amidst the sustained blockade, expanding settlements, attacks on Al Aqsa Mosque, the Judaization of Jerusalem, and the imposition of apartheid policies on all Palestinians."

The conference brought together experts, political leaders, and activists to explore the consequences of Israel's continued war, which has claimed the lives of over 42,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza.

Mahathir praised South Africa's decision to take Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for charges of genocide.

"South Africa's historic stand at the ICJ is an important step toward holding Israel accountable for its actions," he said. However, he lamented the "disunity of Muslims and the weakness of our nations," criticizing their inability to respond forcefully to Israel's aggression.

"The genocide committed by Israel is endorsed and supported by the US and their Western allies," he added, expressing his condemnation of those backing Israel's military offensives against Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

"If anyone had doubts, the US intervention in Iran's retaliation against Israel proved that the Israelis or Zionists rule the world by proxy."

Mahathir concluded his remarks by calling on the global Muslim community to unite against Israel's actions, urging: "The least we can do while we feel helpless is to condemn Israel, the US, and their Western allies, as well as Muslims who are complicit in their crimes against humanity."

The Arab Response

Since the beginning of Israeli aggression, the Arab and Muslim countries have not taken any practical steps to stop genocide of Palestinians. They have only given statements condemning Israel for the genocide.

What was the response of the US client Arab governments to Israeli genocide? It is best reflected in the failure of the Arab countries to hold a summit on Gaza genocide in November 2023.

There was a demand to cut off relations with Israel. Arab countries refused to do so and even the summit agenda was not agreed. Rather holding the summit the Arab countries decided to cancel the summit and merge it with the summit of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The New Arab quoted the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed as reporting that four "influential countries" in the Arab League had prevented the adoption of proposals that carry concrete measures against Israel, while they proposed more vague non-committal clauses.[1]

The divisive clauses are believed to have included prohibiting the use of US and other military bases in Arab countries to supply Israel with weapons and ammunition; freezing Arab diplomatic, economic, security, and military relations with Israel; and threats to leverage oil and Arab economic capabilities to apply pressure and halt the ongoing aggression.[2]

Libya also proposed that the final statement of the conference should include a joint statement in support of the right of the Palestinian people to resist the Israeli occupation. These measures were proposed and endorsed by 11 Arab countries of the 22-member body, including Palestine, Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Libya and Yemen. The four countries who voted against and those who abstained were not disclosed. The disagreement led to the merging of the summits of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League.[3]

Not surprising, commenting of the cancellation of the Arab summit, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said: I say to the Arab leaders, if you want to preserve your interests, you must do one thing... Remain silent! [4]

Netanyahu was referring to benefits Arab countries get from the United States for maintaining relations with Israel. For example, since 1978, when Egypt signed Camp David Accords with Israel, the United States has provided Egypt with more than $50 billion in military aid and $30 billion in economic assistance, according to the State Department. [5]

On May 16, 2024, an Arab summit was held in Bahrain. The summit made it clear that Hamas will not have a role in the future. The final declaration of the summit said that "the Palestine Liberation Organization is the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people," ignoring Hamas and all other movements in Palestine. At the same time, the statement also called on "all Palestinian factions to join under the umbrella of the Liberation Organization." [6]

References

[1] The New Arab - November 11, 2023

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Iran Press November 13, 2023

[5] Washington Post September 14, 2023

[6] The National News May 16, 2024

Authors Bio:

Author and journalist.
Author of
Islamic Pakistan: Illusions & Reality;
Islam in the Post-Cold War Era;
Islam & Modernism;
Islam & Muslims in the Post-9/11 America.
American Muslims in Politics.
Islam in the 21st Century: Challanges, conspiracies & Chaos
Muslim Word in the New Global Order
Currently working as free lance journalist.
Executive Editor of American Muslim Perspective: www.amperspective.com