Malaysia will support Palestine and not obey US, says PM

Malaysia's prime minister has said that his country will not cut ties with Hamas and will “not punish” the group.

Malaysians should "unanimously back" the Palestinians' right to self-defence in regards to the Israeli occupation, Anwar Ibrahim said.

“We continue our relations with Hamas, before and now,” he said, speaking to the Malaysian parliament on Tuesday. “And we do not consider... Hamas as a terrorist organisation.”

The southeast Asian nation will not sever ties with Hamas because of US pressure, added Ibrahim.

“Palestine is colonised through apartheid, ethnic cleansing and now genocide. Hence, whatever happened is the legitimate right and struggle of the Palestinian people."

"I will not accept any threats,” he said, in reference to US attempts to pressure the country to align with Israel and condemn Hamas.

“This action is unilateral and not valid, because we as members of the United Nations only recognise decisions made by the UN Security Council,” he added.