The Facebook post surfaced on March 24, the 14th day of Ramadan. Sent from the official account of the Embassy of Israel in Singapore, the message stated that the Quran refers to Israel 43 times but does not mention Palestine “even once.” Singapore denounced the post as “completely unacceptable.” The Minister for Home Affairs called the comment “wrong at many … Read more
The foreign ministers of Indonesia and Malaysia have both denounced Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip and urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to declare Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands illegal. The two nations were among 52 countries who were given the chance to address The Hague-based court on the legal consequences of Israel’s … Read more
Let’s assess what we have at hand. As far as I’m aware, Anwar Ibrahim hasn’t deplored Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other Gazan groups for the rape and murder of Israeli civilians, nor for taking them hostage. His government did, though, blame the ongoing crisis in Gaza on the “politics of dispossession at the hands of … Read more
Malaysia has banned all Israeli-flagged cargo ships from docking at its ports in what it described as a response to Israel’s “cruel” assault on the Gaza Strip. The ban, announced in a statement yesterday by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, singles out ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., Israel’s largest shipping company, which Malaysia has allowed to … Read more
Like many 24-year-olds, Indonesian Fikri Rofiul Haq says that he spends his days thinking about “content creation.” He imagines the engaging photographs he will take and post online, and the short videos he will film. He thinks about how he will speak directly to the camera as if he’s doing a live TV report, and … Read more
In April 2021, Israel held out an olive branch of sorts to Southeast Asia’s Muslim-majority nations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had signed a landmark peace treaty with four Arab countries the previous year and believed the time was ripe for a rapprochement with the non-Arab Muslim world. Israel’s leader was hopeful that the momentum from the accords would “expand the … Read more
The Palestinian militant group Hamas is still holding 15 Thai nationals hostage, Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says, after 17 were freed over several days during a truce between Hamas and Israel. In a statement today, the Ministry said that it “warmly congratulates the recently released hostages and their families and thanks all parties involved … Read more
Southeast Asian defense ministers called yesterday for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, calm in the South China Sea, and a resolution to Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, as they gathered for a regional security meeting in Jakarta. Defense chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are attending the two-day meeting along with … Read more
Indonesia’s leader Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will tell U.S. President Joe Biden that the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas should be stopped when the two leaders meet in Washington next week. The meeting will take place on Monday, ahead of a summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders in San Francisco from November 15-17. Speaking … Read more
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that his government will not recognize any unilateral sanctions, following the proposal of a U.S. law that would impose sanctions on foreign supporters of Hamas and other militant groups operating in Palestine. On November 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act, which is … Read more