Thursday January 24, 2013
‘Najib’s move to mend Hamas-Fatah ties a historic moment’
By MARTIN CARVALHO
mart3@thestar.com.my
The Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor talking to one of the children at An-Nasseer Hospital in Gaza. Her visit was in conjunction with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s trip to Gaza. — Bernama PETALING JAYA: Several non-governmental organisations involved in the Palestinian cause praised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on his efforts to help mend ties between the Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah.
Sekretariat Dana Hospital 4 Gaza's chief operating officer Mohd Nazri Sahat said it was a historic moment, not only for the country, but also for local NGOs that had been helping the Palestinians over the years.
“We definitely support the Prime Minister in getting Malaysia to play a role in the reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah,” he said here yesterday.
He said Najib's historic visit to Gaza also bore special significance for the secretariat, which comes under the Islamic Associations Consultative Council (Mapim).
“It is a pleasant coincidence that Najib is in Gaza the very same time we submitted an application with the Registrar of Societies to register ourselves as a new entity,” he added.
He said the secretariat hoped to get at least one million Malaysians to contribute towards a fund to set up a maternity and children's hospital in Gaza by 2014.
Mohd Nazri noted that Pakatan Rakyat leaders should also visit Gaza to show Malaysia's political solidarity with the Palestinian cause rather than merely talking about it.
Islamic Aid Malaysia's media and Islamic adviser Tuan Asmawi Tuan Omar praised Najib's effort to bring peace between the two factions.
“It is a very good step for Najib to help strengthen ties between the Hamas and Fatah,” he said.
He added that the move would help promote Malaysia as “a crisis mediator in the eyes of the global community” following the country's achievements in ending the conflict in Southern Philippines recently.
“Malaysia has much to offer to the Palestinian people as we have a model of success in helping end conflicts,” he said.
However, Tuan Asmawi noted that Najib's trip should not be politicised by certain quarters, in particular the Opposition.
“The trip is not based on any political agenda but on humanitarian grounds,” he said. “There should not be any party trying to politicise his trip merely because the elections is to be held soon.”
Related Stories:
PM explains Gaza visit
Netizens keenly following Najib's Gaza updates
Najib feels for people of Palestine in more ways than one
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