CAIRO: Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak was in Gaza on Tuesday to show solidarity with the Palestinian people as Malaysia continued its efforts to assist the small Palestinian territory that was recently hit hard by Israeli attacks last year. He also backed reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah, the two political parties of Gaza and the West Bank. The PM, who entered via the Rafah crossing from Egypt along with his Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and other officials, was met by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya. Speaking at a joint press conference in Rafah shortly after his arrival, Razak said his visit was intended “to show solidarity and our support for the struggle of the Palestinian people.” “We may come from thousands of miles away … but we are one Umma (Muslim nation) and we believe in the struggle of the Palestinian people,” he said. He also expressed support for renewed reconciliation efforts by Hamas and the rival Palestinian Fatah movement, including attempts to form a consensus government to pave the way for new elections. “We believe in this unity government and we pray to Allah that the talks will be successful and a united government will become a reality in the near future,” the PM said. Haniya used the conference to make reference to Israeli legislative elections underway on Tuesday, warning that “the trend of the Israeli elections suggests a move from an extremist government to a more extreme government.” “This requires us as Palestinians, and Arabs, and Muslims, to build a unified strategy to confront rising Zionist extremism.” After the press conference, Razak was to visit Gaza City's Shifa hospital and the parliament building. His delegation was expected to deliver medical supplies. BN
