Press Release
The Jewish Entity has the Right to Exist and Defend Itself?! O Prime Minister, Our Sole Advice - Please Repent!

In an interview with CNN on November 14, 2024, regarding the Palestinian issue, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim criticized the West’s unwavering support for the Jewish entity. While initially cautious in his responses, Anwar’s stance became clear when pressed by CNN’s Richard Quest with two leading questions. When asked, “But you would accept ‘Israel's’ right to exist?” Anwar answered, “Yes.” In response to the follow-up, “And ‘Israel's’ right to defend itself?” he similarly replied, “Yes.” These unequivocal answers have since sparked widespread controversy and criticism, with many questioning their alignment with Malaysia's long-standing position on the Palestinian issue.

Following the backlash, Anwar attempted to clarify his answers, “What needs to be understood is that we do not recognize ‘Israel’ in terms of diplomatic relations and do not allow them to conduct trade or official activities in Malaysia” said Anwar at a press conference after the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru. He elaborated further, “In the context of the international system, some say de facto and some say de jure. ‘Israel’ exists as a country in the context of membership in the United Nations (UN), but we still reject official recognition of that country.” He further accused his critics of exploiting the issue for political gain and fooling the public.

O Prime Minister, your statements on CNN were unequivocal, leaving no room for ambiguity. Your subsequent clarification only underscores your actual stance. Your attempt to further clarify your answer only reveals your true colours. By using the words “diplomatic recognition” and/or “official recognition,” you inadvertently acknowledge the existence of the Jewish entity—an illegal and criminal entity—on Muslim land. If you had a little courage and adhered to the principles of Ahkam ash-Shara’ (divine rule) you would have unequivocally rejected both propositions and firmly stated that Palestine belongs to the Muslim Ummah. You should have described the Zionists as colonizers, usurpers, and aggressors who must leave Palestine immediately. Even if unable to advocate for “jihad” as a solution, such a response would have been more consistent with Islamic teachings.

O Prime Minister! Indeed, we are not surprised by your stance that the Jewish entity has the right to exist, because you are indeed endorsing the American two-state solution, a solution that acknowledges the existence of the Jewish entity on Palestinian land. This has been your unchanging stance ever since, and even the stance of Malaysian Prime Ministers before you, which is clearly and evidently a betrayal of Palestine, as it grants the illegal Jewish entity the right to become a state on the Muslim land!

One more thing O Prime Minister, you tried to clarify the first question by CNN because perhaps you felt you could "spin" it and win back the people's hearts with it. However, you did not clarify the second question of what you meant by saying that the Jewish entity has the right to defend itself. We are sure that you have no clarification for your answer, and if you do try to clarify it, it would surely backfire on you. We would like to ask you O Prime Minister of Malaysia – do the colonizers have the right to defend themselves from the attacks of the colonized, when the colonized are fighting to drive the colonizers out of their lands? If that is your stance on Palestine, then you also need to acknowledge the Dutch, British, and Japanese colonization of the Malay Land, and their right to defend themselves against the Malays who fought to drive them out! Your stance also means that you have indirectly recognized all the killings and atrocities committed by the Dutch, British, and Japanese in the name of "self-defence" against the local population's resistance!

It seems you have fallen into the enemy's trap O Prime Minister, and we are not surprised given your track record so far. The whole world knows that the remark "Israel has the right to defend itself" is a Jewish slogan and propaganda, supported by America and its allies as an attempt to say that the Jews are not guilty when massacring Muslims and destroying Gaza. With your stance, we would like to ask you a hypothetical question - if the Jews came and colonized Malaysia, then killed Malaysians at will, and destroyed all buildings, hospitals, schools, and mosques, would you then state that the Jewish entity has the right to exist in Malaysia? And would you agree to give a large part of Malaysian land to the Jews as a two-state solution? Let's say then the Malaysian people rise to expel the Jews, and then the Jews retaliate with a massive massacre, would you say that the Jews have the right to defend themselves? La Haula Wa La Quwwata Illa Billah.

O Prime Minister of Malaysia! Your stance starkly contrasts with the courage and resolve shown by Sultan Abdul Hamid II when approached by Theodore Herzl, the founder of Zionism, to purchase Palestinian land by offering to pay off the debts of the Caliphate. The Sultan refused, not giving a single room, let alone a piece of land, to the Jews, declaring bravely and unequivocally, “I will not give up a single inch of the land of Palestine, for it does not belong to me but to the Muslim Ummah. My people have fought for this land and watered it with their blood… Let the Jews keep their millions, for if the Caliphate State is torn apart one day, then they can take Palestine without a price, but while I am alive, this will not happen.

O Prime Minister of Malaysia! We wish to stress that the existence of the Jewish entity, be it official or unofficial, is unequivocally unlawful (Haram) under Islamic law, as it is founded on usurped Muslim land. The American-backed two-state solution that you endorse is equally Haram, as it recognizes the Jewish entity as a legitimate state on the land it has seized from Muslims. The Blessed Land of Palestine belongs to the Muslim Ummah, and no part of it should be ceded to the enemy. The Jews are non-believers at war with the Ummah (Kafir Harbi Fi’lan), and Islamic teachings prescribe war as the only rightful response to their aggression. With your answers that go against Ahkam ash-Shara’ (divine rule), and are truly shameful, we have no other advice for you O Prime Minister, except, please repent and do the right thing for the Palestinian cause.Your obligation and duty as a Prime Minister, as well as your other Muslims’ counterpart across the globe, is to mobilize your armies to eliminate that illegal and criminal entity, not to recognize its existence or its right to defend itself, let alone to be its “iron dome”.

Abdul Hakim Othman
Official Spokesperson of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Malaysia