Najib and Hadi to attend Malaysia gathering to address plight of Palestinians

Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak said he would also highlight Malaysia's position on the matter. PHOTO: AFP PHOTO: AFP

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Published

Dec 17, 2017, 11:09 AM

MANAMA, BAHRAIN (BERNAMA) - Appropriate steps that need to be taken in addressing the plight of the Palestinian people will be highlighted at a gathering to be attended by Prime Minister Najib Razak and PAS leaders in Putrajaya on Dec 22.

The Umno president said Umno and PAS must seek ways in jointly addressing the issue.

There must be common grounds when it comes to an issue of importance to Islam and the Muslim community, Datuk Seri Najib told the Malaysian media covering his official visit here on Saturday (Dec 16).

Mr Najib said he would also highlight Malaysia's position on the matter.

It was reported that the prime minister would join the rally together with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to condemn the United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The decision by President Donald Trump to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has sparked anger and condemnation from Muslim communities all over the world

Mr Najib said he would highlight the outcome of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) extraordinary summit in Istanbul on the subject.

At the summit on Wednesday (Dec 13), Islamic leaders urged the world to recognise occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the US no longer had any role to play in the peace process.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened the emergency summit of the world's main pan-Islamic body, seeking a tough response to the recognition by Mr Trump of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

With the Islamic world itself mired in division, the summit fell well short of agreeing any concrete sanction against Israel or the US. But their final statement declared "East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine" and invited "all countries to recognise the State of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital", reported Agence France-Presse.

They declared Mr Trump's decision "null and void legally" and "a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts" that would give impetus to "extremism and terrorism".