KUALA LUMPUR: The Palestinian government has warned the public to be cautious over those leveraging on Malaysians' generosity for their own benefit.
Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia, Walid Abu Ali, said reports by Palestinians being threatened in the country should be taken with a degree of caution.
Commenting on a recent news report in which a Palestinian man in Malaysia had claimed he had received threatening phone calls from Israelis, Walid said such claims need to be verified.
He said the embassy has not received any direct threats or any against the Palestinian community in Malaysia.
"Nobody has informed us of any threats. We are in touch with our community almost on a daily basis, so we are not aware of any threats against any Palestinians in Malaysia," he told the New Straits Times in an exclusive interview at the Palestinian Embassy today.
On the man who claimed to have received threatening phone calls from Israelis for frequently uploading posts about oppression in Gaza, Wali questioned his motive. (link: [https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/1032603/palestinian-residing-...
Wali also questioned why the claim was made only following the recent arrest of a suspected Israeli spy in Malaysia.'
He said the man also did not lodge any report with the embassy.
"I will answer your question by asking you and him a question: If he received any calls or threats, why didn't he inform the embassy?
"Why did he not inform the Malaysian authorities? Why only now, after what has been published (news on the arrested Israeli), dud he raise it via social media? When did he receive the call? Why now?
"As an ambassador, I am asking all Malaysians to just be careful. Since October 7 and up until now, many people are cheating Malaysians through fundraising. They know Malaysians are sympathetic to what is going on in Palestine," he said.
Walid said some of those organising fundraisers are not even Palestinian.
"Be careful to whom you contribute, where does your money go? Who is benefiting from your money, and what is the final destination of the money you contribute?"
Walid urged the man who claimed to have received threats to report it with the embassy or police.
"The embassy will immediately respond to any call or alert from any Palestinians, and we will coordinate with the Malaysian authorities.
"We have an excellent relationship with the Malaysian agencies. We will immediately report such incidences to them," he said.