Dr Mahathir Mohamad made an appearance at the Putrajaya mosque where a gathering was held to protest United States President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

He arrived at about 1pm and when he exited the car, many rushed towards the 92-year-old-former premier to shake his hand.

In a blog posting earlier, Mahathir had urged the government to make a more meaningful stand on the issue instead of just holding demonstrations.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (photo) arrived several minutes later.

Prior to the call for Friday prayers, a forum was held at the mosque to discuss Trump's stand.

Others at the “Save Jerusalem” rally were Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as well as Umno leaders Johari Abdul Ghani, Abdul Azeez Rahim and Puad Zarkashi.

Meanwhile, PAS was represented by its Youth chief Khalil Abdul Hadi.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who was expected to attend the rally, did not turn up. He had delivered a sermon at a mosque in Marang, Terengganu, which was televised live on Facebook.

As for the Pakatan Harapan coalition, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution was a speaker at the forum. Also present was Amanah vice-president Hasanuddin Mohd Yunus.

The "Save Jerusalem" rally, touted as a platform to unite political rivals, was held inside the Putrajaya mosque compound immediately after Friday prayers.