Asia | Banyan

In South-East Asia, the war in Gaza is roiling emotions

The governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have responded very differently

Illustration of a politician balancing on a ball holding the Palestinian flag in his right hand and the flags of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in his left.
Illustration: Lan Truong

FAR MORE than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza is rattling public opinion in three key South-East Asian countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The first two have Muslim-majority populations, and Singapore, largely ethnic-Chinese, has a Muslim minority of 16%. As on campuses in America and in street protests in Europe, the sympathies among those who are concerned about the conflict—and who in Singapore include many young non-Muslims—are for Palestinians suffering from Israel’s heavy-handed prosecution of the war.

Strong feelings have thus made the war a political challenge in ways that are connected, but also vary from country to country. Malaysia’s prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, is by far the most strident leader in South-East Asia in support of the Palestinians. Mr Anwar has decried what he says was Western pressure to condemn Hamas, the hardline group ruling Gaza that started the war with a brutal raid on Israel.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “A delicate balancing act”

The new economic order

From the May 11th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Asia

America recreates a warfighting command in Japan

The threat from China hastens the biggest military transformation in the Pacific in decades

Taiwan is beefing up its military exercises to counter China

The island’s new defence minister wants more practice and less performance


Sheikh Hasina faces her biggest crisis in years

Bangladesh’s prime minister shuts down the country


A weakened Narendra Modi subsidises jobs and doles out pork

The prime minister has had to compromise after a disappointing election

Is this a new age of warrior Japan?

The country is spending more on its armed forces. But not everyone is on board

The epic bust-up between China and India could be ending

Witness calm in the Himalayas, diplomatic charm offensives and thickening trade links