PAS Youth today challenged Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin to reveal the names of individuals and companies with interests in his company, ECM Libra Avenue, that "have ties or support the Israeli regime".

Khairy had last Saturday said the Umno Youth wing would release the names of companies operating in Malaysia that were known to be financially supporting the Israeli regime.

A day earlier, he had forced his way past security forces at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre to submit a protest memorandum to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, decrying her government's support for Israel and its war in Lebanon.

"We hope the people will not be fooled by Khairy ( photo ) who tried to be a jaguh kampung (village champion) when he led last week's protests," said PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub at a press conference at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

"Khairy cannot go on pretending when - under his nose - hands have joined with businesses that have interests in Israel," he claimed, referring to the company in which Khairy is a director.

Salahuddin claimed that among ECM Libra's business interests is Parkways Holdings of Singapore which, in turn, counts among its substantial shareholders Richard C Blum, a Jewish financier.

Blum's wife Dianne Feinsteinis is said to be well-known lobbyist in Washington for the Israeli regime, he alleged.

"Is ECM Libra Avenue therefore also involved in supporting the Israeli regime?" asked Salahuddin.

UN inaction

PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa said that "Khairy is showing his own true colours" in attempting to champion the cause of the Palestinians and Lebanese.

Nasharuddin said this when met at a gathering organised by opposition parties and non-governmental organisations this morning. It was held in front of the United Nations (UN) office in Kuala Lumpur to protest the world body's inaction over the conflict in the Middle East.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat information chief Tian Chua said the UN's failure to act or speak against the Israeli onslaught in Lebanon and Palestine augured the dismantling of any 'world order' that may have existed prior to the outbreak of the attacks.

"This is not just a failure of the UN, but a failure of world governance ... In the face of the Israeli Zionist soldiers' assault and (UN) failure to act, it means the dismantling of world peace and the collapse of the world order," he added.

A memorandum submitted to the UN representative was endorsed by 16 political parties and NGOs, including the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia and Jamaah Islah Malaysia.

They urged the UN to "take concrete steps to stop the unnecessary massacre of civilians by the terrorist state of Israel".

Speakers criticised the failure of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and current chair Malaysia to play a relevant role in ending the crisis.

PAS treasurer Dr Hatta Ramli ( photo ) referred to Foreign Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar's statement during a televised interview yesterday that the OIC could not do anything because it is just a 'conference'.

"Oh my God! It's just a 'conference'! We have been cheated!" Hatta said, feigning surprise.

"And all this while we thought OIC could do something. Now we know that it's (as powerless) like such groups as the Abim and JIM. It means the OIC can just send memorandums like we do!"

A similar gathering will be held tomorrow in Putrajaya at the venue of a special meeting of OIC countries to deliberate on the attacks against Lebanon.