Minister's remark on sending troops to Jerusalem reckless

In a statement over the weekend, mainly as a reaction to the outcry from the rural heartland and urban electorates in the Malay cities, Umno knows that its close relationship with US President Donald Trump has put its electoral pact with PAS in a deep creek.

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is concurrently the special functions minister in charge of the issue of Islamic State in the Prime Minister's Department, affirmed that "if need be, Malaysia will send its troops to Jerusalem."

This has drawn a sharp rebuke from the National Patriots Association (NPA) - a veterans association in Malaysia, who argued that under whose authority would such missions be dispatched.

Traditionally, the Malaysian armed forces, including that which was dispatched to Congo in the mid-1960s, had gone through the purview and authority of the UN Peacekeepers. The tradition has been maintained to this day, when qualified Malaysian peacekeepers are needed, in conflict areas like Lebanon, or, Somalia.

In the movie "Black Hawk Down", not many people were aware of the fact that it was the Malaysian soldiers who saved the American rangers that were under siege by the Somali militias. Had it not for the Malaysian armed forces, the US marines and rangers would have suffered huge casualties ranging in the hundreds, if not thousands.

Unfortunately, the Malaysian Ministry of Defence did not file significant protests against the mischaracterization of the book, nor the movie, thus, denying our Malaysian patriots the due recognition that they richly deserve.

It is odd that the defence minister, without first speaking to the prime minister, or for that matter, the King, or the National Security Council, had immediately broached the idea of sending the troops abroad to Jerusalem if need be. That itself is reckless.

Israel does not have a diplomatic relationship with Malaysia. It is walled up to prevent Palestinians, even Israeli Arabs, from entering Palestine at will. At which point of the West or Old City of Jerusalem, would Malaysia enter to safeguard the sanctity of Jerusalem? Or is it just another rhetorical battle cry playing to the gallery, irresponsibly?

In 1988, even the Old City of Jerusalem was ceded by the late King Hussein of Jordan to the Palestinians. Since then the "final status" of Jerusalem has always been a point of contention between Israel and Palestine, which is why it boggles the mind why Najib’s close golf buddy, President Trump actually saw it fit to offer the city in its entirety to Israel? It may be his election promise, but how can one give something that does not belong to him?

Two wrongs do not make a right. Trump has committed a serious transgression by listening to US ambassador to Israel, Jason Greenblatt to pass Jerusalem to Israel. Trump has also allowed his worse judgement -- he has many -- to cave into the lobbying of Jared Kushner, who unlike Greenblatt, is a known Zionist.

By sending Malaysian troops to redeem a situation that has become more complex by the day, where demonstrators are rising up in Lebanon, Palestine, West Bank, Gaza, and the whole of the Muslim world, Hishammuddin has displayed his total ignorance of defence security dynamics and diplomatic protocol with countries that do not have a relationship with Malaysia at all.

Shouldn't Hishammuddin, at least urge the prime minister to convene a special session in the Malaysian parliament on the urgency of the status of Jerusalem? In fact, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, too, is running Malaysia like a headless chicken.

Instead of summoning the US ambassador in Malaysia to the Prime Minister's Office or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a dressing down, Najib has committed himself to the photo op of appearing with 57 Muslim leaders that come under the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) on December 13 in Istanbul.

The total intra-regional trade of OIC is less than 5 percent. When one removed oil and gas from the ledger, the figure is even more depressing -- perhaps less than 1 percent. The Muslim world, in other words, does not trade with each other. More importantly, the likes of Muhammad Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia appears bent on forming an alliance with Israel to contain Iran. When Trump affirmed that Jerusalem would be handed over to Israel, the tweet from Saudi Arabia was: "Riyadh is more important than Baitul Maqdis."

How can OIC even see eye to eye when Saudi Arabia and Iran, even Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are at loggerheads? Malaysia, being a Southeast Asian country with a Muslim majority, cannot do much, unless Malaysia urges members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) to throttle the quantity of oil to the West; not unlike what had once occurred in 1973 under the leadership of King Malik Al Feisal of Saudi Arabia.

Sending soldiers to Israel is not only a daft idea but an idea made of a clutch of straws. Hishammuddin, despite being a defence minister with close ties to the prime minister, must be ill-advised or at best puerile to even deign to think of such a silly idea that may win him a very short-lived cry of "Allahu Akbar" and a loud applause in the Umno General Assembly, but will live to ruin his shocking unthoughtful declaration that will harm Malaysia and Malaysians in the long run without even achieving the intended aim.

The US, for decades, have been known to be partial in its dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. US Presidents can come and go, but the foreign policy of favouring Israel never changes, however brutal the Apartheid Israeli regime is against the defenceless Palestinians.

Under Trump, the Israeli bias has gone up several notches. What would be a practical action, instead of simplistically suggesting that Malaysians are ready to go to Jerusalem, would be to build a strong coalition of the willing, amongst OIC countries to immediately plan specific actions that will show the strong disapproval of Muslim nations on the unilateral move by Trump without due consultation.

This is a red line that the OIC must never allow the US and the Israel to cross without specific actions. Even the United Nations have come out strongly against this unilateral declaration by Trump by stating that it will bring more harm than good to the peace process.

EU too rejected outright, Israeli efforts to have them support Trump’s unilateral declaration. But as history has shown, soon enough, smaller, insignificant and Israeli friendly countries will start to join the Trump bandwagon. And all hell will break loose as this will trigger hostile reactions the world over, with more acts in the vicious cycle of terror, benefitting no one.

So before making rash statements that could have tectonic consequences, it is wise to be mindful and careful of saying it especially if it is from a sitting defence minister of a nation.

God save Malaysia.

---

RAIS HUSSIN is a supreme council member of Bersatu and heads the party's policy and strategy bureau. - Mkini