Former US Treasury Department analyst Jonathan Schanzer has sparked controversy after claiming that Malaysia has long served as a base of operations for Hamas, while accusing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of having “no interest in peace.”
In a widely circulated post on social media platform X, Schanzer wrote:
“Malaysia has long hosted Hamas operatives. Its prime minister has no interest in peace.”
The remarks were made in response to Anwar’s recent statements at the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha, where the prime minister reaffirmed Malaysia’s support for Palestine. In a post accompanying his speech, Anwar wrote:
“Gaza is crushed, the West Bank dispossessed, the region bombarded. Israel’s vow against a Palestinian state is a vow of permanent apartheid. Malaysia stands firm for justice, for Palestine.”
Backlash from Malaysians
Schanzer, who is currently Executive Director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington-based think tank, quickly faced a flood of criticism from Malaysian social media users. His post has since amassed nearly five million views and over 1,500 replies, the majority of them pushing back against his claims.
In a follow-up post, Schanzer acknowledged the response, dismissing most replies as coming from “Malaysian trolls,” which he described as ““ are rather funny and in some cases extreme.”
Police Respond: “Misunderstood by Certain Parties”
The Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Ismail, addressed the controversy today, saying that Malaysians’ support for Palestine may have been misinterpreted.
“Malaysia’s aid to Palestine is based on religion. As our nation is a Muslim nation, the Palestinian struggle is close to the hearts of Malaysians,” Khalid said at a press conference in Bukit Aman.
“In my view, the concern shown by our citizens may have been misunderstood by certain parties,” he added.
Khalid also stressed that Malaysia maintains good relations with the United States and continues to share intelligence for early detection of security threats and effective preventive measures.
Malaysia and Hamas Links
The episode has reignited scrutiny of Malaysia’s alleged ties to Hamas. Israel and Western intelligence agencies have long claimed that Hamas has operated on Malaysian soil.
- In 2010, Hamas reportedly sent 15 men to Malaysia for paragliding training, a tactic later used in the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
- In 2018, Hamas engineer Fadi Muhammad al-Batash was assassinated in Kuala Lumpur, with Hamas blaming Israel’s Mossad for the killing.
- In 2022, Malaysian police arrested locals suspected of collaborating with Mossad in an attempt to kidnap a Gaza-born computer programmer alleged to be tied to Hamas.
Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country with no diplomatic ties to Israel, has consistently framed its pro-Palestine stance as one rooted in humanitarian and religious solidarity.
Regional Context
Pro Israel reports have also claimed that Hamas leaders sought new safe havens after being asked to leave Qatar. Israeli media outlets claimed some leaders were relocating to Turkey, while others considered Malaysia or Russia. Hamas and Turkey have denied the reports, calling them Israeli propaganda.
Wider Implications
Schanzer’s comments and the resulting backlash underscore the sensitivities surrounding Malaysia’s role in the Israel–Palestine conflict. While Western analysts raise concerns about Hamas activities in Malaysia, local leaders stress that the country’s support for Palestine reflects its moral, religious, and humanitarian commitments—not the harboring of militants.
For now, the controversy remains an online war of words. But it also highlights how Malaysia’s pro-Palestine stance increasingly places it at the center of international debates on the conflict.
TheRealNehruism (nehru.sathiamoorthy@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.