KUALA LUMPUR: Mehdi Hasan, the US-based broadcaster and political commentator, has praised Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's outspokenness on the Palestine conflict, saying "the world needs more leaders like Anwar."
Anwar, he said, has taken a brave stand in championing universal values.
Mehdi, who is in Malaysia in conjunction with the National Human Capital Conference & Exhibition (NHCCE), said the prime minister's stand shone through, especially during the latter's visit to Germany in March this year, where he met Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
During that meeting, Malaysia and Germany had called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages.
Both countries had also called for humanitarian aid to be expedited for the people of Palestine.
Mehdi praised Anwar's willingness to speak up in defence of Palestine in Schulz's company.
"I'm someone who admires that he had stood up and spoken out loudly about what's happening in Gaza.
"I thought what he did in Germany in March this year, where he sat next to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, one of the most pro-Israeli leaders on planet Earth, and spoke to the media... it was a very awkward moment for Scholz when Anwar spoke very loudly about the oppression of the Palestinians in Gaza.
"I think that's a good thing, obviously," he said in an interview with Buletin TV3.
Anwar, during a press conference with Scholz, had firmly defended Malaysia's stand with Palestine and said it was opposed to "colonialism, apartheid or ethnic cleansing or dispossession of any country, be it Ukraine or in Gaza." (LINK: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/1024492/malaysia-and-germany-...)
His criticism of Western countries' lack of action against Israel's atrocities in Gaza also drew support from prominent figures across various fields globally. (LINK: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/1026119/pm-anwars-stand-gaza-...)
Meanwhile, Mehdi said his views on Anwar were bolstered further after his exclusive interview with the prime minister yesterday.
Malaysia, said Mehdi, is a nation which aspires to expound good moral values on the international stage.
Mehdi also raised the possibility of Anwar being able to play a bigger role in resolving the Palestine conflict by taking a mediator role.
"Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told me that he's someone who's spoken to all the factions on the Palestinian side. He claims that Hamas told him they are ready for a peaceful settlement.
"Can he (Anwar) play the role of a broker? Maybe. Can he play the role of a negotiator? Maybe.
"We could do with some fresh faces in the Middle East because the people who have been negotiating all these years, they've been an utter and miserable failure. So maybe we could do with some new voices on this topic," he said.
Mehdi, who has also been vocal about Israel's atrocities, voiced his concern over the war and its impact on the people.
He said from a geopolitical and international law standpoint, Israel appeared to be ignoring protests from the international community on the conflict in Palestine.
Mehdi previously presented The Mehdi Hasan Show on Peacock and MSNBC until the show's cancellation in Nov last year.
An outspoken critic of Israel's Zionist regime, he is a co-founder of media company Zeteo and a columnist for The Guardian.