Malaysian envoy summoned by US state department over Israel policy
Malaysia's ambassador to the US was summoned to explain the country's policy of barring Israeli citizens from entry. The Malaysian government maintains this stance as a protest against the treatment of Palestinians, despite pressure from US lawmakers.
Why it matters
This highlights ongoing diplomatic tensions between Malaysia and the US regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said an individual with US and Israeli citizenship was asked to leave Malaysia.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s ambassador to the United States was summoned by the US state department to explain Putrajaya’s longstanding policy of not recognising Israel.
Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said Shahrul Ikram Yaakob conveyed to US officials that the stance was a well-established national policy, reported Bernama.
“It has always been Malaysia's policy. We do not recognise the state of Israel or the Zionist regime. This has long been our position.
“There was an individual with dual citizenship, US and Israeli, who entered Malaysia using his US passport. However, subsequent checks revealed that he also held Israeli citizenship, and we asked him to leave,” he told reporters in Rembau after a meet-and-greet session with Zaifulbahri Idris, Barisan Nasional’s candidate for the Chembong seat in the Negeri Sembilan state election.
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