PETALING JAYA: Malaysia stands firm in its decision to reject the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel despite President Donald Trump threatening to cut funding to countries against the move.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that Malaysia is not afraid even if there are countries that decide to take diplomatic actions following the country's decision to vote against the US on the Jerusalem issue.
"Our stand is very clear, that the sanctity of Baitulmaqdis (Jerusalem) should be protected.
"This is not just because we are Muslims or because our leaders are Muslims, but because Baitulmaqdis includes the whole area of the city not just the Al-Aqsa Mosque alone," he said.
He added that Malaysia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Datuk Seri Mohd Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, will voice Malaysia's stand on the Jerusalem issue as stated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najid Razak during the extraordinary Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit recently.
Asked if the US decision to withhold aid provided to countries who voted against it on the Jerusalem issue will affect Malaysia, Zahid said that Malaysia did not received much aid from the US, in fact, Malaysia is among the countries that provides similar aid to other countries.
Zahid also said that international collaborations, including with countries where the majority are Christians, provide the best solution to tackle the Jerusalem issue.
"Even the Orthodox Jews do not agree with the move of the Israel capital city from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," he said.
Zahid however stressed that matters concerning diplomatic relations, defence, security and trade should be completely separate from the Jerusalem issue.
"We believe that the US will be wise in separating the Jerusalem issue from other issues," he said.
The UN General Assembly will hold an emergency session Thursday to vote on a motion to reject the recognition.