Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, turned 100 this year with a sharp mind and an unyielding voice on international issues.
From his desk in Putrajaya, he told newsmen that Israel’s ongoing actions in Gaza amount to nothing less than a Gaza genocide, a crime he believes will stain global history for generations.
“Gaza is terrible. They killed pregnant mothers… babies just born, young people, boys and girls, men and women, the sick and the poor… How can this be forgotten? It will not be forgotten for maybe centuries,” he declared.
For Mahathir, the scale of the Gaza genocide—which he noted has claimed nearly 66,000 Palestinian lives, most of them women and children—demands recognition as one of the darkest episodes of the modern era.
Parallels With History’s Darkest Chapters
Mahathir drew striking parallels between the Gaza genocide and other atrocities in recent history, including the massacres of Muslims in Bosnia during the 1990s and the extermination of Jews during the Second World War. He expressed bewilderment that Israelis, themselves descendants of genocide victims, could inflict such suffering on Palestinians.
“I thought people who suffered like that would not want to visit it on other people,” he said. Yet, in his view, Israel has chosen to replicate the very horrors its ancestors endured.
“Victims of a genocide should not want to wish their fate to befall other people,” Mahathir insisted. His words reinforced his long-standing image as a global South leader unafraid of challenging Western and Israeli narratives.
Mahathir’s Lifelong Advocacy for Palestine
Mahathir has been one of the most vocal Asian leaders supporting the Palestinian cause throughout his political career. Even at 100, he continues to describe the Gaza genocide as evidence of unchecked aggression enabled by global silence.
At the height of his power in the 1980s and 1990s, Mahathir often clashed with Western powers over Palestine and broader Middle East issues. While critics accused him of making “anti-Semitic” remarks, his defenders highlight that he also expressed sympathy for Jews after the revelations of Nazi crimes.
Now, he argues that Israel “did not learn anything from their experience. They want the same thing that happened to them, they want to do it to the Arabs.”
The Two-State Solution: A Distant Dream
Despite his grim assessment of the Gaza genocide, Mahathir still sees the two-state solution as the only reasonable path to peace. He acknowledged that recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom marks a significant diplomatic shift.
However, Mahathir tempered optimism with realism. “In my lifetime, no. Too short a time,” he said, reflecting on whether he would see such a solution materialize. His skepticism underscores the gulf between diplomatic gestures and ground realities in the Israel Palestine conflict.
A Century of Experience and Leadership
Born in 1925, when Malaysia was still under British colonial rule, Mahathir has lived through imperialism, independence, and globalization. His political career spanned more than six decades, during which he held power for a combined 24 years, making him Malaysia’s longest-serving leader.
He transformed Malaysia’s economy from agricultural roots into an industrialized powerhouse, symbolized by Kuala Lumpur’s iconic Petronas Towers. Even after stepping down in 2003, Mahathir made a dramatic comeback in 2018, defeating entrenched political rivals at the age of 92 to become the world’s oldest sitting prime minister.
Yet his global legacy is inseparable from his persistent critique of Western imperialism and his passionate defense of Palestine against what he consistently labels as a Gaza genocide.
Lessons From China and the Global South
Mahathir’s worldview extends beyond the Middle East. In his reflections at 100, he contrasted a rising China with a struggling United States. Having visited Beijing in the 1970s, when the country was “very poor,” Mahathir marveled at its transformation into a world power.
“It will take China 10 years to catch up with America. After that, China will overtake America,” he predicted, arguing that the US, weighed down by Trump’s tariffs and costly reshoring plans, cannot compete with China’s industrious population and vast domestic market.
For him, the rise of China is a symbol of shifting global power—one that could bolster the voices of the global South, including advocates for Palestine, against entrenched Western dominance that has often shielded Israel from accountability for the Gaza genocide.
Critique of American Decline Under Trump
Mahathir was equally candid in his assessment of the United States under President Donald Trump. He warned that Trump’s tariff wars and insistence on reshoring industries would backfire, raising costs and weakening America’s competitive edge.
“America will not be able to compete with the rest of the world,” he said. He also doubted Trump’s ability to carry out his vision within his term limits. “And Trump will not be president any more after three years.”
These remarks highlight Mahathir’s view that Washington’s declining global position diminishes its credibility to mediate in the Israel Palestine conflict or halt what he calls the ongoing Gaza genocide.
Longevity, Discipline, and an Unfinished Mission
Despite enduring three heart attacks and political setbacks, Mahathir remains active, walking unaided, exercising daily, and continuing his intellectual pursuits. He credits discipline for his longevity: eating little, working consistently, and keeping both mind and body engaged.
“My mother’s best advice to me was, ‘When the food tastes nice, stop eating,’” he recalled. This philosophy reflects a life of moderation but also determination—a spirit he has applied to both personal health and political struggle.
At 100, Mahathir sees his mission unfinished. His condemnation of the Gaza genocide underscores a conviction that resonates across Malaysia and the Muslim world: Palestine’s suffering remains an urgent global issue that cannot be ignored.
A Voice That Will Not Be Silenced
Mahathir Mohamad at 100 is no ordinary statesman. His sharp denunciation of Israel’s policies as a Gaza genocide places him among the most uncompromising defenders of Palestinian rights in the international arena.
From condemning Western imperialism to envisioning a multipolar world led by China, Mahathir’s worldview blends national pride with global solidarity. Whether or not a two-state solution materializes in his lifetime, his insistence that the Gaza genocide “will not be forgotten for maybe centuries” ensures that his voice, like his longevity, remains a force to reckon with.
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