KUALA LUMPUR: A crowd of 300 people gathered in front of the United States embassy tonight, the second time protesters have assembled at the site, in a show of solidarity with Palestine as well as to condemn Israel following the war in Gaza.
A majority of the crowd waved Palestinian flags and carried placards denouncing the Israeli government and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protest, organised by Perikatan Nasional Youth, began at 8.55pm.
In a short speech, Pejuang information chief Rafique Rashid Ali said there was a need for Malaysia to send a strong message as “we can’t continue doing protests like this”.
“They (Israel and Washington) are laughing at this (the gathering),” referring to the turnout outside the embassy. The US is a staunch ally of Israel.
Meanwhile, Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said the West was “afraid” of the message brought by Malaysians about the Israel-Palestine war.
He said that countries such as Germany, Austria and the UK were afraid that the messages on the war brought by Malaysians would “influence their people”.
“Historical facts are covered up by the Israeli prime minister.
“They (also) want to cover up the history of the Israeli occupation of Palestine,” he said.
Last night, at the Malaysia Stands with Palestine Rally at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil here, more than 16,000 Malaysians attended a gathering to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, Bernama reported.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had just returned from an official trip to meet leaders of several Arab countries to discuss the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, addressed the crowd at the gathering.
Israel declared war on Hamas following the group’s surprise attack on several locations in Israel on Oct 7.
Following the constant bombardment of Gaza by Israel, it was reported that the death toll — which threatens to increase — has surpassed 5,000, with nearly half of them children.
More than 15,000 have been left injured according to the latest news reports.
