Malaysia joins the UN-backed Gaza peacekeeping initiative under Trump’s 20-point plan, signaling rare Muslim-world cooperation with Israel for lasting stability.
In a striking geopolitical shift, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced his nation’s readiness to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Gaza—part of the Trump-brokered 20-point peace plan that has brought Arab and Israeli interests to an unprecedented convergence.
Speaking at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur alongside UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Anwar confirmed Malaysia’s intent to align with members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in supporting the UN mission designed to enforce the new Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
While Malaysia still maintains no diplomatic ties with Israel, the announcement marks a notable softening of rhetoric and a potential opening toward regional normalization under the umbrella of the Trump peace initiative.
Anwar reiterated his “firm stance in support of the Palestinian cause” but notably stopped short of condemning Israel directly—an omission seen by analysts as a diplomatic nod to Washington and Jerusalem’s new security architecture in Gaza.
US President Donald Trump, the chief architect of the ceasefire and the stabilization plan, confirmed Saturday night that the peacekeeping deployment is already in motion. “Pretty soon. Pretty quickly. They’re actually picking leaders right now,” Trump revealed. “Israel will go in there very easily… You have Arab countries, Muslim countries, Israeli—everybody’s on board. It’s really an amazing thing.”
This unprecedented alignment—Israel, Arab states, and even traditionally anti-Israel nations like Malaysia—underscores a historic transformation: the Middle East’s shift from hostility to cooperation under the Trump Doctrine.
