KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has criticised what he views as Western media bias in their coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling for a consistent global stance on human rights.

In an interview with CNN’s Richard Quest recently, Anwar stressed the need for a more balanced narrative that reflects the long-standing struggles of the Palestinians, rather than focusing solely on recent events.

Expressing his disapproval of violence on all sides, Anwar highlighted the importance of considering historical context.

Referring to the Palestinian plight since the Nakba in 1948, he said: "The only concern is the attempt by the discourse, particularly in the West, to erase the decades before Oct 7.

"You don’t talk about one or two incidents which we may not necessarily approve of, but then the discourse in the West is when they only highlight these so-called excesses and forget the thousands and hundreds of thousands being killed,” Anwar said in the interview. The clip was uploaded on Quest’s X account on Tuesday.

Anwar, who unequivocally opposes any form of violence, questioned the Western focus on recent escalations, which he believes overlooks the broader history of colonisation and occupation.

"My position is consistently against any form of violence. But my concern is when this is being highlighted by the West in the Western media, and at the same time, (they) condone continued occupation and aggression and genocide,” he said. — Bernama