Kuala lumpur: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday vowed to maintain the Southeast Asian nation's policy of denying entry to Israeli nationals. Anwar stated that Kuala Lumpur's policy is guided by its commitment to defending the rights of the people and opposing the "oppression, aggression and continued killing" of Palestinians in Gaza.
According to Anadolu Agency, Anwar emphasized that the policy of barring Israeli nationals is not new, having been in place for decades, and should already be well known to the United States. Despite receiving criticism from several members of the US Congress over Malaysia's decision, Anwar declared that such criticism would not deter Malaysia from upholding its policy. He expressed his resolve to defend the rights of the Malaysian people and uphold the government's decision to continue prohibiting the entry of any Israeli national into Malaysia.
Eight Democratic US representatives recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressing dissatisfaction with Malaysia's plan to deport Israeli citizens found in the country. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan disclosed that a dual US-Israeli citizen had entered Malaysia using a US passport but was asked to leave after checks revealed his Israeli citizenship. The US lawmakers urged the State Department to clarify its response and suggested suspending International Military Education and Training funding to Malaysia if the policy is not reversed.
Anwar questioned the silence of elected representatives in the US over issues concerning the killing of civilians and the destruction of homes in Palestine. He emphasized that Malaysia is an independent nation and free to express its views. Despite the situation, Anwar, a former academic at Georgetown University, insisted that the matter should not affect bilateral ties with Washington. Foreign Minister Hasan also noted that Malaysia's ambassador to Washington has explained Kuala Lumpur's position to the US State Department, reiterating that Malaysia's immigration policy does not recognize "the State of Israel or the Zionist regime."