From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Malaysian PM says willing to send peacekeeping troops to Gaza with Indonesia
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says his country is willing to send peacekeeping troops to Gaza if they operate with Indonesia under a United Nations mandate, according to a post on X.
Ibrahim says he “welcomed the idea of cooperation in the Malaysia-Indonesia international peacekeeping mission” in a Monday call with Indonesian President-Elect and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.
Neither country recognizes Israel.
Ibrahim has been accused of making antisemitic remarks, including alleging while opposition leader that Mossad spies were controlling the Malaysian government and that Jews controlled a public relations firm hired by then-prime minister Najib Razak. In 2012, Ibrahim told The Wall Street Journal that “I support all efforts to protect the security of the State of Israel,” comments that sparked outrage in Malaysia, which strongly identifies with the Palestinian cause.
In April, an Israeli official said that Indonesia could normalize ties with Israel as part of a deal to smooth the entry of the world’s most populous Muslim nation into the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which Israel currently opposes.
The Times of Israel Community.