Anwar, proponent of Palestinian cause, is missing in action at Gaza peace summit

From UN podiums to mass rallies, Malaysia's support for Palestine has been consistent and vocal. Yet its impact has been limited.

- James Chin

Picture this: It’s Oct 14, 2025, in the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. The air is thick with hope and tension as world leaders gather to sign a long-awaited Gaza deal.

Leading the effort is US President Donald Trump, joined by 27 other political leaders, including those from Egypt, Qatar, UAE (United Arab Emirates), Jordan, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority. All key European leaders are present. It feels like history in the making.

Missing from the photo? Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

STAUNCH PROPONENT OF PALESTINIAN CAUSE

For a leader who has made the Palestinian cause a central pillar of his foreign policy, his absence from the summit was conspicuous. It underscored an uncomfortable truth: despite his fervent advocacy, Datuk Seri Anwar remains on the margins of the Palestinian issue. He’s admired for his rhetoric but excluded from the rooms where decisions are made.

Since assuming office in late 2022, Mr Anwar has positioned Malaysia as a staunch defender of Palestinian rights. He has made multiple trips to the Middle East, delivered impassioned speeches and presided over mass rallies in Kuala Lumpur calling for justice for Gazans. At an emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha in September, he denounced "Zionist atrocities" and called for Israel’s expulsion from the United Nations.

These were words that played well domestically and on social media among Malaysian Muslim circles. And right before the Gaza peace summit, Mr Anwar condemned Israel for blocking the Sumud humanitarian flotilla, an international, civil society-led effort to break Israel's blockade of Gaza which was joined by Malaysian activists and earlier endorsed by Mr Anwar.