MALAPPURAM: Hamas leader Khaled Mashal’s virtual participation at a pro-Palestine event, organised by the Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, in Malappuram, has stirred up a controversy. The former head of Hamas addressed the ‘Yuvajana Prathirodham’ event, organised to oppose Zionism and Hindutva, via a ten-minute recorded video.
Mashal said Israel is exacting revenge on Palestinians. “They have devastated more than half of Gaza. They are demolishing churches, temples, universities, and even UN institutions. They are nothing but cowardly enemies, seeking vengeance on nnocent infants for their military defeats. Around 8,000 people have become martyrs, with half of them being children,” he said.
Following the event, Solidarity Youth Movement members held a protest march. BJP state president K Surendran condemned Mashal’s address at the rally. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Surendran said, “Hamas leader Khaled Mashal’s virtual address at the Solidarity event in Malappuram is alarming. Where’s Pinarayi Vijayan’s Kerala Police? Under the guise of ‘Save Palestine’, they’re glorifying Hamas, a terrorist organisation, and its leaders as ‘warriors’. This is unacceptable!”
Following the tweet, BJP supporters criticised the state government for allowing such programmes. Some even called for Surendran’s resignation, citing his delayed communication of the event through social media, which came only after the event had concluded.
Gaza conflict: CPM to hold protests today
T’Puram: The CPM will hold protest meets against Israel over the Gaza conflict, across the state on Sunday. The CPM central leadership will hold a protest meet in Delhi on Sunday against the wrong stance taken by the union government on the Gaza issue. It is in this backdrop that the state secretariat called for state-wide protests. In a statement issued here, the CPM secretariat said India has always taken a stance against imperialist moves. At one point of time, India didn’t even have diplomatic relations with Israel.