Hamas Paints Malaysian Premier’s Visit as a Stand Against Israel

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Jan 23, 2013

(The New York Times) – Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia visited the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Tuesday on what he called a humanitarian mission but Hamas portrayed as a defiant stand against Israeli restrictions on Gaza.

“This is an Islamic declaration for breaking the Israeli siege on Gaza,” said Ismail Haniya, the prime minister of Hamas, the Islamic movement, who received the Malaysian premier, his wife and his foreign minister at the Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt. Although the restrictions have been eased recently, most exports from Gaza are still banned.

The visit came as Israelis headed to polling stations for parliamentary elections. Mr. Haniya said he considered Mr. Razak’s visit “a Palestinian, Arab and Islamic response” to a visit on Tuesday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Mr. Haniya said the Western Wall, known to Muslims as Al Buraq, was “an Arab and Islamic wall,” and added, “Jerusalem is Islamic.”