PAS today admitted their conflicting viewpoints with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on the issue of Israel, but stressed that while disagreement is common between Pakatan it is the larger agenda that is important.

In a blog entry published on Friday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang stated that PAS will not recognise Israel, a country that he described as an outlaw, because it invaded Palestine and built its country on Palestinian land.

The view was however not shared by Anwar, who on Jan 26 told the Wall Street Journal that he supports Israel’s security on condition that it respects Palestinian aspirations.

Elaborating the issue at a press conference today, the Marang MP said PAS has never recognised Israel since the party was formed in 1956.

“Even Malaysia has submitted a resolution to United Nations suggesting the two-state solution (between Israel and Palestine), but we are opposing this idea.

“We are for a multi-racial Palestine,” said Abdul Hadi.

He said he will seek Anwar’s explanation on the issue, but added that “it is normal to have conflicting views”.

“We are a pact, but we do have different opinions on certain issue.

“Even in Umno, Mahathir and Najib have said different things on this. But most importantly this does not result in a crisis in Pakatan, unlike MCA (and its conflicting views with BN partner Umno),” he said.

Despite disagreeing over Israel, he said, Pakatan shares the common ground on the formation of a just government, that is the pact’s priority.

He added that the pact also agrees on the position of Islam as the federal religion, Malay language as the national language and Malay privileges, as stipulated during the Pakatan convention.

He said it is “impossible” for PAS to withdraw from Pakatan just because of the Israel issue, as they need to focus on the larger agenda.

“We need to be with Pakatan because we need to preserve the Muslim’s morality, which Umno has failed to control,” he said.