(Israeli) Ambassador to Singapore Propagating Deceitful Narratives in Southeast Asia

News:

As Reuter reported on 17th June, (Israel) is willing to work towards establishing ties with Southeast Asia's Muslim majority nations, its ambassador to Singapore said on Thursday, despite their condemnation in May of (Israeli) air strikes on Gaza. Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei had urged the United Nations to step in and stop "the atrocities carried out against the Palestinian people". The three countries do not have formal ties with (Israel) and have repeatedly called for an end to (Israeli) occupation of Palestinian territories and for a two-state solution based on borders before the 1967 Middle East war.

Sagi Karni, (Israel's) ambassador to Singapore, said the criticism from the three nations' leaders was "not honest" and ignored "the true nature of the conflict", which he said was between (Israel) and Hamas and not the Palestinian people. "Hamas is an anti-Semitic organization ... I'm not sure that many of the people participating in social media debates truly understand the radical and fascist nature of Hamas," he told Reuters in a video interview. Hamas rejects accusations of anti-Semitism. Karni also said the only way for any party to have meaningful influence over what happens in the Middle East was by establishing relations with (Israel).

Comment:

This statement is not only biased but also very arrogant. The anti-Semitic narrative which keep echoed by Sagi Karni, (Israel's) ambassador to Singapore, is nothing more than a cheap narrative that further shows (Israel's) true character as a Zionist occupier. The (Israeli) ambassador accused Indonesia and two other Muslim countries in ASEAN of being dishonest, this accusation is ridiculous, as if he forgot to reflect that (Israel) is actually very fascist, apartheid and anti-Muslim. Sagi Karni also dishonest as ignores the fact the real reason Muslim countries of Southeast Asia condemn (Israel) is the occupation of the Zionist state in Palestine NOT the rejection of the Jewish race or ethnicity.

Associated with the position of the (Israeli) embassy in Singapore, we should note that Singapore along Myanmar are two ASEAN countries who do not want to recognize the independence of Palestine. This means that these two countries are hardline Zionist fans. The (Israeli) ambassador in Singapore has been very vocal in defending Zionism and seeking justification for its aggression against Palestinian Muslims. (Israel) has 6 embassies in Southeast Asia in Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Cambodia. According to a prominent Malaysian - Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid - published in the New Strait Times on June 3, these six embassies are very active in conducting intelligence work through Mossad and the CIA in Southeast Asia. It monitors Muslim countries that are hostile to it and continue to try to drag these countries with various propaganda and diplomatic snares to want to recognize (Israel) through an agreement to normalize relations with (Israel), as happened in the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco last year.

Through the strong ties between the US and (Israel), (Israel’s) interests in ASEAN are intertwined with US interests in the Region. (Israel) has joined hands with America as a country champion of Capitalism so as to bring (Israel) as a state actor who can conduct international trade relations with various countries, including to Southeast Asia.

One of the modes of propaganda used by (Israel), according to the Center of Media Monitoring Institute in "Media Reporting on Palestine" 2021 is to label (Israel’s) critics and supporters of Palestine as anti-Semitic, including saying that Hamas' military power is balanced with (Israel). Similarly in digital media, we know that (Israel) has invested heavily in digital warfare with a contract value of up to 100 billion dollars to employ their cyber-troops as Oxford 2019 report entitled Global Disinformation Order. This is why lately in the Indonesian digital world, there are many pro-(Israel) bot accounts that are vulgarly praising (Israel) - milling about in every online Palestine discussion. The reason is none other than digital propaganda funded by (Israel).

Palestine is not just a conflict between Hamas and (Israel), more than that Palestine and al Aqsa is an Islamic problem! Birruh Biddam Nafdika Yaa Aqsa - with life and blood we will defend you O Aqsa! From a Muslim perspective, the Palestinian issue is a matter of Aqidah, because al-Aqsa is the third holiest land for Muslims.

The Palestinian issue is also Shari'a matter, because the status of al-Aqsa is a Kharajiyah land which was seized by the (Israeli) Zionist movement by carrying out various injustices and expulsions. The teachings of Islamic Sharia strictly forbid various forms of colonialism, injustice and evil. So beware of the pro-(Israel) narrative in Southeast Asia!

(يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِؤُواْ نُورَ اللّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللّهُ إِلاَّ أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ)

“They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.” [At-Tawbah :32]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Dr. Fika Komara
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir