Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today accused arch rival Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of being a Jewish sympathiser and a leader who disregarded the plight of the Palestinians.
"He (Anwar) never mentioned about the plight of the Palestinians... his sympathy is towards the struggles of the Jews," Dr Mahathir told reporters here after attending a function.
The former prime minister was responding to Anwar's recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, in which the latter expressed support for "all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel."
But the opposition leader has since clarified his remarks by saying he was referring to a "two-state solution", and that his support was also contingent on Israel respecting the aspirations of Palestinians.
Today, Dr Mahathir claimed that his former protégé had close ties with many US elected representatives who were Jews, and that he was their "friend."
"Anwar is not confused, he is close to Israel. When he got out of prison in 2004, he met with (Paul) Wolfowitz in Munich, Germany, for three hours," claimed Dr Mahathir.
Wolfowitz, a former US Secretary of Defense and World Bank president, is of Jewish descent.
Anwar came under heavy fire from Umno and its media after his statement was published by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
The opposition leader was forced to defend himself by stressing that his remarks in the newspaper meant that he supported a two-state solution, which he said was mentioned by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman when the latter addressed the United Nations general assembly in September last year.
But Anifah responded by saying Anwar's interview "clearly shows full support for all actions taken by Israel to protect its security, unless he is accusing the Wall Street Journal of making a mistake."
Muslim-majority Malaysia is a staunch supporter of Palestine and has no diplomatic ties with Israel.
Muslim politicians have long vied for support from Malays by denouncing what they say are inhumane acts of aggression by Israel towards its neighbour.
Anwar has previously been attacked as a supporter of the Zionist movement due to his interaction with prominent Jewish figures in the West.
But the opposition leader turned the tables on Umno and Barisan Nasional in 2010 when he claimed public relations firm APCO Worldwide, then contracted by Putrajaya, was responsible for both the 1 Malaysia and 1 Israel campaigns. -TMI-
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