FORMER prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin were among scores of people who protested in front of the United States embassy after Friday prayers today over Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza.

The rally began at the iconic Tabung Haji Tower, with demonstrators chanting slogans against the US as they marched towards the embassy.

They vented their anger towards Israel for striking a hospital and killing hundreds of victims over the last week.

However, the protesters could not reach the US embassy and had to stop some 200m away where police had set up a roadblock.

In a brief speech prior to the march, Dr Mahathir said Israel should be categorised as a terrorist group for its “attack on a hospital in Gaza”.

“They broke international law and attacked a hospital. It was an extraordinary cruelty by Israel to target a hospital, an act that goes against international laws.

“But America and Britain, and several other countries, supported the attack against the hospital in Gaza, which means they are also terrorists.

“Because only terrorists would attack hospitals during a war,” he said.

While other marchers were halted, Khairy, Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir and several representatives from civil society groups made it to the US embassy and handed over a memorandum of protest.

He said the memorandum demands that Israel stop its illegal occupation of Palestine and recognise unconditionally the nation-state of Palestine.

Earlier, the Malaysian Women’s Coalition for Al-Quds Palestine (MWCQP) also submitted a protest letter to the embassy.

Chairman Zuraidah Kornain said the protest note listed four demands calling for an end to the ongoing atrocities committed by Israel against the people of Gaza.

“MWCQP submitted a protest letter to the embassy this morning. We condemned the war crimes committed by Israel and are disappointed with the lack of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“We demand that Israel and countries that are supporting it be held accountable for this crime. Our demands are, Israel stop the genocide in Gaza,” she said. 

The other demands are for Israel to lift the blockade at the Rafah border to allow aid to be channelled to the people of Gaza.

The protest note also called on Israel to completely stop the illegal siege on Gaza and urged allied countries to stop their reckless support for illegal occupation and atrocities against Palestine. – October 20, 2023.