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KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian government is going to scrutinise a motion passed in the US on imposition of restrictions on foreign entities that support Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir said Putrajaya is currently monitoring the move by the US House of Representatives to pass the bill on this matter last Wednesday.
He assured that the Foreign Ministry will thoroughly examine the content of this legislation before taking further actions.
The proposed law is named Hamas International Financing Prevention Act. It was passed in the US House of Representatives on November 1 with 363 yeas and 46 nays.
“The situation in Palestine has worsened and as of today the death toll reported is over 8,700 people and this is highly disappointing,” Zambry was quoted as saying by Bernama.
“Moreover, the number of people who have lost their homes or are displaced has reached 14 million individuals in total and this is extremely saddening.”
Zambry told this to reporters after attending the Diploma in Diplomacy graduation ceremony at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations here yesterday.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had revealed in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday that the government received three demarche notes from the US embassy on Putrajaya’s stance against designating Hamas as a terrorist group.
He said the embassy had asked Malaysia to discontinue that stance.
“This is due to our reluctance to oppose Hamas and consider them as a terrorist group,” he had said to the house.
A demarche is a request or intercession with a foreign official, a request for support of a policy, or a protest about the host government’s policies or actions.
The notes were received via Wisma Putra on October 13, 18 and 30.
It is reported that the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act would enable Washington to sanction foreign supporters of the Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movements.
It was tabled in the House of Representatives on January 11 and will now head to the Senate.
Its full official title as introduced reads: “To impose sanctions with respect to foreign support for terrorist organisations, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”
It would require the US president to periodically report to Congress a list of each foreign person who knowingly provides “significant support or services” to a senior member or supporter of Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Zambry expressed disappointment at the continued conflict in Gaza. “On one side, continuous bombing is taking place, and on the other side they are not pursuing the best path to resolve the issue,” he said.
“Instead, they are further complicating the situation, making it difficult to achieve a positive outcome that would allow us to immediately halt these attacks and facilitate the entry if humanitarian assistance.”
Malaysian stranded in Gaza
Zambry also said that Wisma Putra is attempting its best to get Malaysian Nurul Ain Haron and her husband who are in Gaza out of the area with the cooperation of a third country.
"We have also received feedback about the possibility that the route in Rafah will be opened to allow people from abroad and those who have dual nationality to leave," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
On humanitarian aid from Malaysia, he said that the first shipment for the Palestinians in Gaza is to be sent to Al-Arish International Airport, Egypt via a special chartered cargo flight today.
He expressed gratitude to the Egyptian authorities for allowing help from Malaysia to arrive in a short time.
“Normally for other countries to reach Al-Arish airport it takes days, approximately five or six days, but in the context of Malaysia we got the response in just 36 hours.
"This allows us to make preparations for delivery to the airport. From there the Egyptian authorities will take follow-up actions to deliver goods to Rafah," he said. – The Vibes, November 2, 2023