Malaysians urge government to reject ‘Zionist' Nick Adams as US envoy
Political parties, parliamentarians and members of the public are pressing Anwar Ibrahim's government to reject the MAGA commentator as ambassador to the majority Muslim country over his 'vocal support of Israel's Zionist regime'.
Mr Adams, 40, a provocateur with a reputation for making incendiary social media posts, including one in which he referred to pop star Taylor Swift as a 'woke jezebel", was nominated by Mr Trump last week.
Mr Adams was born in Sydney before immigrating to the US in 2012. If confirmed by the senate, he would replace Edgard Kagan, who took the job less than 16 months ago.
Although Mr Adams, who became a US citizen in 2021, does have prior political experience, he has never been a diplomat. He was a member of Australia's Liberal Party before being driven out over an offensive rant about a journalist.
'Nick Adams is not a diplomat, not a statesman,' Mus'ab Muzahar from Amanah party, a member of the ruling coalition, said. 'He's merely an extreme right-wing propagandist, a Trumpist and vocal supporter of Israel's Zionist regime. His social media rhetoric is full of hatred, racism and Islamophobic sentiments which veer far from mature bilateral relations.'
Mr Muzahar warned that Malaysia was "not a testing ground for US political puppets'.
Mohamed Sukri Omar, an official of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, said the government should take a firm and clear stance against the nomination.
"Nick Adams is not just a controversial figure. He openly spreads hatred towards Islam and supports the Zionist colonial regime without consideration," Mr Omar said, according to The Star.
He said Mr Adams once pressured a restaurant in the US to fire a waitress simply for wearing a "Free Palestine" pin. "This is an inhumane act that demonstrates extreme and hateful attitudes towards the oppressed Palestinian people's struggle," he said in a statement on Monday.
His statement referred to a post of X, where Mr Adams proudly claimed to have gotten a waitress fired for wearing a "Free Palestine" pin.
"I won't tolerate being served by those who support terror, I stand with Israel," Mr Adams wrote in the post dated 5 August 2024.
Malaysia has openly supported the Palestinian people since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Youth International Relations Bureau warned that Mr Adams's nomination was being viewed with concern due to his "extremist ideologies and divisive rhetoric", which stood in contrast to the Malaysian government.
"Such a rejection should not be misconstrued as hostility but rather seen as a necessary measure to safeguard the integrity of bilateral relations and ensure that diplomatic envoys can contribute constructively, in a manner aligned with the shared aspirations of both nations," the bureau's chief, Arief Izuadin, said.
The choice of Mr Adams as America's envoy to Malaysia reflected a lack of respect for and understanding of the nation, said Dr Bridget Welsh, a political analyst specialising in Southeast Asia.
"Trump's focus on loyalty and political appointees, rather than professional diplomats or regional expertise, will inevitably undercut US engagement with the region,' she told The Straits Times.
Malaysia last week said it planned to 'continue discussions' with the US to reach a 'balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement" after Mr Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on the country from 1 August.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
.jpg%3Ftrim%3D0%2C32%2C0%2C31%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Netanyahu's gameplan for Gaza is in tatters
When the British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour issued his eponymous 'Declaration' in November 1917, it was hailed as a monumental and historic diplomatic achievement by the Zionist movement. When prime minister Keir Starmer announced earlier this week that, barring a ceasefire, Britain will recognise a Palestinian state, it was met with angry tantrums and livid rhetorical spasms by Israeli ministers. The context and circumstances are obviously very different – but the Britain of 1917 that issued the declaration, the Britain of 1947 that relinquished its mandate over Palestine and supported the UN plan for partition, and the Britain of 2025 that is considering recognition of a Palestinian state are all telling the same story: that there is a question that needs to – and can be – resolved. Benjamin Netanyahu should not have been surprised by Starmer's announcement. It has been gradually in the making, with Britain over the last year imploring Israel to end the war in Gaza and prevent further humanitarian catastrophe and starvation. Starmer's bona fides on Israel are unassailable; it is Netanyahu who has chosen to ignore, deride and refuse to entertain any political plans for post-war Gaza. It was Netanyahu who waged a war without clear political objectives, and who was warned by Britain, among several other allies, that this will produce calamity. But it is Netanyahu who has cast himself in the Churchillian mould, that of the wartime prime minister who he alone can remodel the Middle East's geopolitical landscape through military force – and all the while assuming the Palestinian issue will magically disappear. Yet after a few weeks of futile quasi-negotiations over a partial deal, Israel is now again exuding pessimism, threatening to widen the military operation in Gaza as if, short of full military occupation, it can be further widened. It's not just the United Kingdom that has, latterly, taken a stand: the Israeli military is also warning Netanyahu that this is going nowhere. As Donald Trump's patience with Netanyahu frays, he sent US envoy Steve Witkoff to Israel – which was a de facto threat to Israel not to expand the war, and to significantly increase humanitarian aid getting in to Gaza, an endeavour that, to date, has been a colossal failure. The Israeli media is melodramatically calling, first, the French decision to 'recognise Palestine', followed by the British, then Canada and possibly Portugal, too, as a 'tsunami'. This is both misleading and in poor taste. A tsunami is a force of nature, a displacement of the ocean resulting from an earthquake. The diplomatic debacle that Israel is undergoing is man-made – by one man to be precise, Mr Netanyahu. It is the result of nothing but hubris and a reckless lack of policy. Some 147 countries – out of the 193 UN member states – have already announced their recognition of a future Palestine. This wide-scale recognition is largely symbolic, declarative and more a statement of frustration with the lack of a resolution than having any practical meaning. But the symbolic nature of such declarations become substantive since they create an organising policy principle around which many countries coalesce. When four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council announce their intention, it leaves Israel dependent more than ever not on the US, but on the whims of an increasingly frustrated and erratic Donald Trump. This is not where Israel should be. Starmer, Carney and Macron will not establish a Palestinian state by virtue of declarations. They know that. Nor is it feasible for such a state to be formed in the immediate future. But they have put a mirror in front of Netanyahu. How long can he avoid looking into it? Alon Pinkas is a former Israeli consul general to the US and was a political adviser to two former prime ministers, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak
Telegraph
19 hours ago
- Telegraph
Taiwan has a stronger claim to statehood than Palestine. Will Starmer recognise it?
Now that Sir Keir Starmer has declared his intention to recognise the imaginary state of Palestine, perhaps he might want to consider affording similar status to one that does actually exist: Taiwan. Starmer's decision to recognise Palestine at the UN next month might have helped to appease his restless backbenchers, who champion the Palestinian cause without having the faintest notion what they are talking about. But recognising a state that does not exist, is incapable of holding democratic elections and where a decent proportion of the population are in thrall to Islamist-inspired terrorism is hardly a blueprint for success. Taiwan, by contrast, is a self-proclaimed independent territory that regularly holds free and fair democratic elections – despite the malign efforts of China's Communist rulers to disrupt the process – where the overwhelming majority continue to uphold their right of self-determination. Apart from being a fully functioning democracy, Taiwan is also a valued trading partner, with total trade between the UK and Taipei currently averaging around £9.3bn. And yet, despite his willingness to offer full recognition to Palestine, an area that has no formal borders, a non-functioning administration and meagre trading options, our prime minister appears strangely reticent on the subject of upgrading our diplomatic ties with a democratic and prosperous ally such as Taiwan. This aversion to addressing the issue is all the more remarkable given that the official policy is to protect Taiwan from Chinese aggression, a position that means the Royal Navy regularly conducts freedom of navigation exercises in the region – including through the Taiwan Strait – to demonstrate Britain's solidarity. The extent of the UK's military support for Taiwan is evident from the participation of HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy's new 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier, in the Talisman Sabre exercises currently taking place in the Asia-Pacific region. The British warship is part of a 35,000-strong multi-national force conducting military exercises aimed at deterring China from launching an attack against Taiwan. Indeed, Defence Secretary John Healey was at his most bullish when asked about the UK's commitment to defend the region from Chinese aggression, commenting, 'If we have to fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the UK are nations that will fight together. We exercise together, and by exercising together and being more ready to fight, we deter better together.' It is unlikely that we would ever see Healey, or any other Labour minister, making such robust comments about defending a future Palestine state – assuming, that is, that one ever materialises. The Starmer Government's desire to steer clear of any serious military entanglements in the Middle East was evident during the recent confrontation between the US and Iran. While the US deployed its aircraft carrier groups to the Gulf in anticipation of war with Tehran, the Prince of Wales, which was sailing through the region at the time, continued on its passage to Australia, out of harm's way. If the Government is so determined to defend Taiwan's right to exist, even risking the prospect of war with China by doing so, then it begs the question: why, having recognised a non-state like Palestine, will it not make the same commitment to Taipei? Ever since the leadership of the original Republic of China fled from the mainland to Taiwan in 1949, successive British governments have sought to adopt a neutral position in its dealing with the territory. While the UK is perfectly willing to maintain lucrative trade ties, as well as providing declarations of military support, ministers have been reluctant to upgrade Taiwan's diplomatic status for fear of causing offence to China, its more powerful and prosperous neighbour. Since 1972, when London eventually recognised the People's Republic as the sole government of China, the view in Whitehall has been that the future status of Taiwan should be a matter for the Chinese to decide. A number of recent factors have made this compromise appear less satisfactory, not least Chinese President Xi Jinping's pronounced determination to reclaim Taiwan as Chinese sovereign territory. Having declared that the ' reunification' of China with Taiwan is a cornerstone of his aim of achieving the Chinese dream of nation rejuvenation by 2049, Xi has authorised the Chinese military to engage in a massive build up, with some Western military analysts predicting a Chinese invasion could take place by 2027. The gathering storm clouds over China's territorial ambitions towards Taiwan have already resulted in significant changes to British policy to the region, most notably the 2021 Integrated Review that proposed an Indo-Pacific 'tilt' in our military and security outlook. Apart from sending an aircraft carrier to participate in joint naval exercises, the Royal Navy is also committed to upgrading its 'persistent presence' in the region to include the rotational deployment of nuclear submarines from 2027 as part of the recent Aukus agreement signed between the UK, US and Australia. If the UK is preparing to defend Taiwan's sovereignty, it makes sense for Starmer to give serious consideration to offering the Taiwanese people the same level of recognition that he is prepared to give to the Palestinians. Otherwise the UK could one day find itself in the invidious position of fighting for a people whose sovereignty it does not even acknowledge.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Trump to be nominated for Nobel peace prize after ending deadly war with a phone call
President Donald Trump is being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Cambodia for helping to avert a deadly war in the region. Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol announced the decision on Friday, citing Trump's role in halting the deadly war between the Southeast Asian country and Thailand. Clashed between the countries broke out late last week, with each accusing the other of firing first. At least 43 people were killed in the intense clashes, which lasted five days and displaced more than 300,000 people on both sides of the border. The conflict began to wind down after Trump called Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on July 26, Reuters reported. A ceasefire was agreed to in Malaysia on Monday, ending the worst fighting between the two nations in the last decade. Speaking to reporters earlier in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, Chanthol thanked Trump for bringing peace and said he deserved to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize is the highest-profile international award given to an individual or organization deemed to have done the most to 'advance fellowship between nations'. Most recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated Trump for the prize for his work in 2020 negotiating the Abraham Accords between Israel and several other Arab nations. Netanyahu's letter, which he handed to the president at the White House, said Trump had 'created new opportunities to expand the circle of peace and normalization' in the Middle East. Trump has assisted Israel's war in Gaza and has also aided in its campaign against Iran, authorizing a mission in June to destroy Iran's nuclear enrichment sites. Pakistan also said in June that it would recommend Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in helping to resolve a conflict with India. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. The ceremony is held in Oslo, Norway. After peace was declared between Cambodia and Thailand, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that Trump made it happen. 'Give him the Nobel Peace Prize!,' she said.
