Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was wrong for expressing his support for terrorist acts against Israel, said PRM leader Syed Husin Ali.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Israel is a terrorist state supported by US president George W Bush and instead of attacking Afghanistan, the US should cease its terrorist acts on the Palestinian people.

"However, it is wrong to support or approve anyone who wants to kill innocent people. Just as we do not approve the US attacks on Afghanistan, we also should not approve attacks on Israel," said the veteran politician.

Syed Husin was reacting to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement on Monday that he would support "terrorist acts" against Israel because the Israelis have killed many Palestinians.

Mahathir said this when answering a question in Parliament on terrorism.

"Maybe it (terrorist attacks against US) was caused because the perpetrators had been victims of terrorism themselves and they want to retaliate. But what is unacceptable is that others too were made victims including those from Malaysia who had not committed any terrorism against the Palestinians," the premier told the Dewan Rakyat.

"Therefore if they wanted to take any action they should pick on those who had acted against them and I would support them if they had committed these terrorist acts against Israel because Israel had killed many Palestinians."

'Selective' statements

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock also criticised Mahathir's statement saying that terrorism must be condemned without reservation.

"We cannot be selective as to who the target is," Kerk told malaysiakini at the Parliament lobby today.

"We must be consistent in what we say, believe and do. If we believe that terrorism cannot be condoned, accepted and must be stopped, we must condemned it in all aspects," he stressed.

When asked by malaysiakini about Mahathir's statement in Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declined to comment.

"The Prime Minister's Department has issued a statement regarding the matter. Please refer to it. I do not wish to say anything more about it," he said.

The Prime Minister's Department on Tuesday referred to the Hansard's official translation to refute an Associated Press report which wrongly quoted Mahathir as saying that the United States and Britain should attack Israel.

The news agency today issued a correction but did not indicate whether it would apologise to Mahathir as demanded by the PM's office.

"When Mahathir said he would have supported the attacks if they had hit Israel as the perpetrator of terrorism against the Palestinians, he was referring to the terrorist attackers who struck the US on Sept 11, not to US and British forces," it stated.