The Non-Muslim Position in PMX Anwar Recognising the Right of Israel to Exist
To be brutally honest, at the point where the war is currently in, I honestly feel that there are only two outcomes where the Palestinians people are not entirely annihilated.
Nehru Sathiamoorthy
I truly believe that I speak for all non-Muslims in Malaysia, when I say that the non- Muslims in Malaysia generally do not have a very negative view of Israel or a very positive view of Palestine, as how the Muslims in Malaysia, or the Muslims in the world for that matter, do.
In our view, we merely see Israel and Palestine as two nations that are at war, just like how we see Ukraine and Russia as being two nations at war. It is not obvious to us as to who is in the right and who is in the wrong, and for the most part, we see it as a foreign war, that we do not wish to have any active part in, in the same way that we do not wish to have any active parts in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
When we see our Muslim counterpart’s absolute and sincere conviction that Palestine is in the right while Israel is evil, our view is that our Muslims counterparts in the country are only taking such a position, simply because they identify very strongly with the Palestinians. In other words, when we see our Muslim counterparts in the country expressing maximum solidarity with the Palestinians and doing their utmost to denounce Israel, we see it as a case of a family member supporting a family member at a time when the said family member is embroiled in a do or die battle against an outsider, rather than as a case of a good person supporting the side that is right and good as a matter of principle.
Do we understand our Muslim counterpart’s position in regards to the war between Israel and Palestine?
Yes.
If we are put in their position, we too might take their position, and support those we identify with rather than evaluate the situation from an objective, neutral and principled stance. If somebody is beating up our brother to a pulp, for example, we will likely support our brother too, against the person who is beating them, without being too concerned about who is right or who is wrong in regards to the quarrel.
Does our understanding of our Muslim counterpart’s position translate into support for their position?
No.
Like I said, at the end of the day, we see the war between Palestine and Israel as a foreign war, which we do not wish our country to have an active role in. While we understand that our Muslim counterparts might have the opposite desire, namely that they wish that Malaysia will play a more active role in support of Palestine in the conflict, as it is, we actually feel that Malaysia has already done too much in regards to the war in the middle east.
A big part of why we find the position of our Muslim counterpart disconcerting, is because in the war between Israel and Palestine, we actually see Israel as being a much stronger side. As much as we believe that we shouldn’t participate in any wars where we don’t have a stake in, we even more strongly believe that if it comes to pass where we are forced to participate in such a foreign war, it is not wise for us to choose the side that is obviously weaker, against a side that is much more stronger, when we are not even sure as to who is right or wrong.
Considering this, If the Muslim counterparts in our country wish that Malaysia intervenes actively in the war between Israel and Palestine, we can only support their wishes if they aim to make Malaysia a peace broker in the war.
If Malaysia was to become a peacemaker in the war between Israel and Palestine, then we feel that what Prime Minister Anwar said in a recent interview with CNN, which is to agree to the proposition that Israel has the right to defend itself and that Israel has a right to exist, is the correct preliminary position for Malaysia to have.
To be brutally honest, at the point where the war is currently in, I honestly feel that there are only two outcomes where the Palestinians people are not entirely annihilated.
In the first outcome, the Muslims world as a whole should join forces to raise a Muslim army that will be able to either defeat the Israelis or force the Israelis to negotiate for peace. There are 49 Muslim majority countries and 2 billion in the world. If each Muslim in the world were to commit just 1000 dollars for the endeavour, the Muslim world would have 2 trillion dollars to raise an army to confront the Israelis. If Malaysia wishes to be a part of a multinational effort to raise such funds to build an international army, that will be able to confront Israel through strength, then I believe that the non-Muslims in Malaysia are likely amenable to consent to the endeavour, for such an endeavour not only has a practical likelihood of ending the war in Gaza, it will also not put us in a position where we feel that we are supporting the losing side.
In the second outcome, I believe that the Muslim countries in the world, like Malaysia, should do more to persuade Palestine to accept that it is the weaker side, and compel it to sue for peace with Israel, by accepting whatever terms for peace that Israel offers, for so long as the terms that Israel offers is not humiliating to the Palestinian nation and people.
In the way the world works, It is the losers that must sue for peace, while it is the winners that set the terms.
Peace between Israel and Palestine will never be forged for as long as Palestine, backed by the Muslim world, insist that it is the side that has the right to set the terms and demand Israel to be the side that sues for peace.
To be absolutely frank, at the stage that the war in the middle east is in, to sue for peace, Palestine must not only agree to a two state solution and accept that Israel has a right to exist and defend itself, it must also likely relocate the Al Aqsa mosque out of Jerusalem, to a territory held by the Palestinians, be it in the West Bank or the Gaza strip.
It must agree to relocate the Al Aqsa Mosque, because that is likely the only gesture that will convince the Israelis to believe that the Palestinians are genuinely interested in making peace with Israel.
If Malaysians, Muslims or Non-Muslims alike, truly wish for peace in the middle east, we will not only consent to Prime Minister Anwar saying that he agrees that Israel has the right to defend itself and exist, we will even encourage him to propose the relocation of the Al Aqsa mosque out of Jerusalem.
But seeing how negatively our Muslim counterparts are responding to PMX Anwar merely saying that he agrees that Israel has right to exist and defend itself, I reckon that they will likely never in a million years agree to the relocation of the Al Aqsa mosque, as a term of peace in the middle east.
Instead, they are likely going to just continue sticking to their current stance, which is to argue that it is Palestine that is in the right and that Palestine is being victimised and oppressed by the Israelis, and insist that the world must do something to force Israel to sue for peace, and allow Palestine to set the terms for peace, although it is Palestine that is the weaker side and Israel that is the stronger side.
This stance by the Malaysian Muslims, as well the Muslims worldwide, will most likely cause the continuous devastation of the Palestinians in the hand of the Israelis, and possibly result in a complete genocide of the Palestinian people in the not-too-distant future.
Right and wrong only matters before we go to war. When we go to war, what matters is who is strong, not who is right or wrong.
Once nations go to war, peace will only return when it becomes clear who is strong and who is weak, and that too only if the weaker nation is ready to sue for peace and the stronger nation is ready to offer terms for peace.
If the weaker side refuses to accept its weakness even when its weakness is apparent, then what will result is the complete annihilation of the weaker side.
This is the cold hard truth. If the Muslims in Malaysia, and worldwide, are truly concerned about the wellbeing of the Palestinians, they must think deeply about this.
