Anwar Ibrahim compared the West’s position on the Ukraine war and the war on Gaza (Anatolia)

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday sharply criticized the West for its differing response to the Ukraine war and the war on Gaza, and explained that the matter "defies logic."

In his speech at the Australian National University in Canberra, Ibrahim said, “Unfortunately, the painful tragedy that continues to unfold in the Gaza Strip has exposed the selfish nature of the much-vaunted rules-based system.”

He wondered why the West condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine “vocally, violently and unequivocally”, while remaining completely silent regarding the relentless bloodshed inflicted on innocent men, women and children in the Gaza Strip.

The Prime Minister said that "countries should not apply international law selectively."

When asked later whether he included Australia in his criticism of Western responses, Ibrahim said he "credited Australia, New Zealand and Canada for somewhat shifting from the original position and calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance."

He added that he appealed directly to his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, to restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as it is "the most effective channel to help besieged civilians" in Gaza.

Israel's war on the Gaza Strip led to massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy (French)

For more than 5 months, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which as of Thursday has left more than 100,000 martyrs and wounded, massive destruction of cities, and the displacement of most of the population of 2.2 million, exposing them to famine and an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy.

Israel says that its goal in the war is to "destroy" the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and rescue more than 130 detainees in Gaza, but to date it has not succeeded in achieving any of its declared goals.

But Anwar Ibrahim said that the conflict has a longer history, and that the Palestinians have suffered since the Nakba, or what he described as the "catastrophe" when hundreds of thousands of people were expelled or fled from their homeland after the announcement of the establishment of the State of Israel.

A call for lasting peace

For her part, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who was born in Malaysia, warmly welcomed Ibrahim to the Australian National University stage on Thursday.

"It is important for us to continue to use our voices to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, humanitarian access, the release of detainees, and the protection of civilians," Wong said.

Wong called for "a lasting peace with an independent Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel."

Unlike Australia, Malaysia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies