PETALING JAYA: Malaysia must continue to champion the Palestinian issue so that its importance and the rights of Palestinians are accepted internationally.

Kuala Lumpur should continue the work done as chair of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to help find a resolution to the Middle East crisis, Peace Malaysia co-ordinator Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said.

"I think such pressure needs to continue because without it, who else will help the Palestinians? Malaysia should take the lead," he said at the sidelines of a forum yesterday.

The forum, Palestine: 60 years of struggle - Al Nakbah Remembered, was jointly organised by the International Movement for a Just World and Peace Malaysia.

Mukhriz said as a Muslim country separated by distance from West Asia, Malaysians may view the crisis differently. "We perhaps look at it from a distant perspective without the historical baggage."
He added that Malaysia has always been at the forefront of the Palestinian cause, even during Tunku Abdul Rahman's premiership.