Former Malaysia PM Urges Ban on US Dollar
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has urged the international community to halt all transactions in U.S. dollars and British pound sterling to pressure Washington and London to end Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
Mahathir, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause in his 22-year rule before retiring in 2003, said the Israeli offensive would not have been possible without “support and collusions” of United States and Britain.
“I appeal to the world to take this simple action. Reject the dollars and pounds. There will be economic turmoil for the whole world but this is a price we must be prepared to pay … it will be temporary,” he said in a statement late Tuesday.
“Until we do this, the Israeli-US-Britain axis will advance into Syria and Iran and other countries on the excuse they are all harboring terrorists.”
His call comes ahead of an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference, or OIC, in Malaysia on Thursday.
At least 17 leaders of the group’s 56 members are expected to attend, including representatives from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority.
The summit will call for “an unconditional cease-fire” and demand that a “U.N. peacekeeping force, which is to be deployed to Lebanon and Palestine, should be properly coordinated,” Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“We need to make a stand at the United Nations,” said Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubaker Abdullah Al-qirbi. “If the Security Council fails … If it all fails, then Islamic nations will need to move quickly to assist the people of Palestine and Lebanon,” he said upon arrival, according to the national news agency, Bernama.
Malaysia is currently chair of the OIC, the world’s largest Muslim bloc.
At least 532 Lebanese have been killed in fighting that began three weeks ago after two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah. Fifty-four Israelis have died.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Muslim Youth Secretariat has called for a global boycott of Israeli-made goods.
“The world’s 1 billion Muslims have purchasing power that could force Israel to stop its attacks,” the group’s President Mahfuz Omar said.
Also Wednesday, nearly 50 opposition activists, mainly from the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, held a demonstration outside U.N. headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, chanting anti-Israeli slogans and burning an Israeli flag.
No arrests were reported.
