Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should not use his recent visit to Palestine as a political gimmick for the general election, says Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Whatever it is, he said, Malaysians would not stop supporting the Palestinian cause, their losing their homeland, their rights and of their women and children being killed.

NONE"I differ with the people who want to use the issue as a political gimmick before the election," Anwar said.

"Our (Pakatan Rakyat's) relations with Fatah and Hamas are well known, as well as the ties with the Islamic party PAS... we don't have to recognise them (Palestine) before March," he said, mocking at Najib.

However, he welcomed the effort by Najib to support the Palestinian cause, and, at least for the first time, to recognise Hamas as the legitimate government of the state.

"We should not allow the domestic politics of Malaysia to derail our focus to support the Palestinian cause," Anwar said.

Najib's visit to Palestine has been harped on by the mainstream media for more than a week, welcoming the visit as historic and declaring that many accepted his visit there.

Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas was said to be uncomfortable with Najib’s visit, and Najib had reiterated that his visit to Gaza was not to meddle in Palestinian affairs.

Anwar said this after receiving a five-member delegation from Hamas, led by its political bureau chairperson Dr Walid Alamudi, at the PKR headquarters this morning.

During the visit, the NGO Aqsa Syarif handed over US$700,000 (RM2.175 million) to the Hamas delegation for the rebuilding of the Nur Al Hamidi Mosque in Gaza, which was destroyed in bombing by the Israelis.

Jointly condemn Israeli attack on Syria

Walid and Anwar also jointly condemned the Israeli air attacks on Syria since yesterday.

“We condemn the ‘unilateral aggression’ and attacks on Syria by Israel. Any attacks on a neighbouring country should be condemned despite Syria’s own president, Bashar Al Assad, facing his own internal problems.

“This is a malevolent attack by the Israel regime and this shows the failure of the international community including the United States to stop the aggression by the Israelis,” said Anwar.

Walid also said that the appointment of Senator John Kerry as the new secretary of state for the United States brings no difference to the Palestinians.

He said that regardless of who helms as secretary of state or the US president, there would be no difference.

“We have been under Israel for six decades where all the weapons used in the killing of our families especially in Gaza are made by the Americans. When there is a US presidential election, the candidates will pledge to ensure that Israel is safe,” he said.