WITH Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) forging diplomatic ties, the situation is putting many Muslim majority countries in a dilemma including Malaysia, said an expert.
“Malaysia and a few other
Muslims countries support the Palestinian cause and are opposed to Israel’s
atrocities against them.
“But with UAE and other Middle
Eastern countries normalising ties with the Zionist nation, the situation is
becoming very complicated for us,” Arunachala Research & Consultancy Sdn
Bhd principal consultant R Paneir Selvam told FocusM.
On Jan 31, ISRAEL’S president,
in making his first visit yesterday to the UAE, said his country supports the
Gulf state’s security needs and wants more countries in the region to join its
new detente with the Arab world.
The UAE, along with Bahrain,
signed US-brokered normalisation agreements with Israel, dubbed the “Abraham
Accords”, in 2020. The two Gulf states and Israel share concerns about Iran and
its regional allies.
Among others, Isaac Herzog
discussed security and bilateral relations with the UAE’s de facto ruler Abu
Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Touching on the matter, Paneir
Selvam said that many Middle Eastern countries are looking at normalising ties
with Israel as they have one thing in common; lran as their common
adversary.
“If you look at the ongoing
conflict in Yemen, the Houthi rebels are being supported by Iran while the
Government forces are backed by several Middle Eastern monarchs.
“Even in Palestine, there are
a few factions fighting for their liberation from Israel’s aggression. For
example, the Hamas is supported by Iran. The Hezbollah, which has a strong
footing in Lebanon, is also supported by Iran.
“Hence, several Gulf countries
feel it is in their best interest to forge ties with Israel, which has promised
to provide security for them,” he opined.
Two
state solution
As for the Israel-Palestine
issue, the US poured fuel into the fire in the matter by declaring the whole of
Jerusalem as the Zionist nation’s capital; a holy site dear to all three major
Semitic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The rash decision by the US,
Paneir Selvam added, would only give more fodder to terror groups across the
world to launch attacks.
Despite UAE normalising ties
with Israel, Paneir Selvam said Malaysia would continue to support the
Palestinian people, who have become refugees in their own land.
“Former prime minister Tun Dr
Mahathir Mohamad said it before. The Palestinian issue is being played up by
terror groups to propagate their ideology based on hate,” he added.
Offering solutions, Paneir
Selvam urged Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to pressure the
international community so as to get Israel to abide by the Oslo Accord, which
mooted the two-state solution.
“Malaysia, as a member of the
OIC, must keep up the pressure on the matter. This conflict between Israel and
Palestine has been going on for too long and we must work on the solution,” he
concluded. – Feb 6, 2022.
Source: https://focusmalaysia.my/israel-uae-ties-putting-many-islamic-countries-in-a-quandary-expert-says/
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