Malaysia can act as a mediator, if not on religious grounds, then on humanitarian grounds.
The ongoing war between Israel and Palestine can only find resolution through negotiation. If we act with this in mind, we can protect the Palestinian people from destruction.
In 2009, the Sri Lankan government unleashed a similar war against the Tamil Eelam Liberation Tigers.
It is a well-known fact that nearly 150,000 innocent civilians were brutally killed in that war.
What this indicates is that the atrocities that occurred in Sri Lanka then are now happening in Palestine. It is the responsibility of the global human community to prevent this; otherwise, the fate that befell to the Tamil people of Sri Lankan, who live at the Northern and Eastern provinces of the country is likely to befall to the Palestinian people as well.
In the ongoing Israel-Palestine war, which has been going on for 11 months, more than 40,000 people have been killed. No one can deny that this number will increase in the coming days.
Nations like Russia and China are opposing the war taking place there. However, the Israeli government, with the support of America, has declared that there will be no ceasefire until the Hamas movement is completely eradicated.
Therefore, looking at the current situation, there seem to be no signs of a ceasefire. There is no record of any separatist movement in any country successfully defeating the government in power; Palestine is no exception.
First, we must accept one thing: labeling any separatist organization that comes to the negotiating table as a terrorist organization is a misguided prediction. This includes organizations like the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Moro Liberation Front of the Philippines.
Separatists are a group of people or organizations that demand separation from the society they live in. This separation can involve demands for a separate law, place, identity, or even a separate state to establish their own law and order.
The best example of a separatist in modern history would be Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. He and his supporters demanded a separate state for the Muslim people of British-ruled India. Hence, separatists can be reasonable, educated people with a cause, unlike the irrational and violent cowards that the media often labels as terrorists.
A terrorist has no cause of their own; they are often brainwashed and may be rebels without a cause. For example, Hitler was a terrorist, and the people responsible for 9/11 were terrorists. Most terrorist groups are backed and supported by the rich and powerful.
A terrorist can be defined as anyone who puts fear into the hearts and minds of people. Going by that definition, the hundreds of thousands of U.S. marines, often referred to as saviors of democracy and freedom, were actually terrorists to the civilians they killed.
It is not right to comment without knowing the background. It is important to understand the history and know the fullness of the truth.
The declaration by Western countries labeling separatist movements as terrorist organizations appears to be a misguided decision.
Similarly, many Middle Eastern countries, along with Israel, label the Hamas movement as a terrorist organization.
Given the current situation, both parties should be invited to a roundtable discussion; otherwise, no party should enter into negotiations that could escalate the situation.
If, alongside Western countries, the Malaysian government had refrained from labeling the Tamil Eelam Liberation Tigers as a terrorist organization and played at least a neutral role, today’s Palestine issue might have turned out differently.
The Malaysian government should not view the Palestine-Israel issue through a religious lens; instead, if it is approached on humanitarian grounds, there is a significant opportunity to bring about a solution to the ongoing conflict in that country.
Moreover, since the Malaysian government is a member of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation), it should first unite those Islamic countries under one roof and then work toward negotiations with the Israeli government.
The OIC, which is on the same level as the UN, should be transformed into a powerful entity. To achieve unity among Islamic countries, Prime Minister Dato' Sri Anwar Ibrahim should use his global influence to create a coalition and strive for a solution through that organization.
We must consider that acting emotionally could lead Malaysia to be pushed against Western countries. Furthermore, this could have detrimental effects on Malaysia as a developing nation, and care should be taken to protect the Palestinian people from suffering.
That is the current moral responsibility of the global human community.