Malaysia visibly strengthens its support for Palestinians over Israel in recent weeks in a move that may strain relations with the U.S
KUALA LUMPUR, August 27 (SABAH): Malaysia has visibly strengthened its support for Palestinians over Israel in recent weeks in a move that may strain relations with the U.S.
The cabinet “has made a unanimous decision to stop all forms of direct trade” with Israel, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a speech on Sunday.
Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has banned direct trade with the country since 1974. Yet direct trade with Israeli companies still took place under the previous government, according to Anwar Ibrahim.
At an August 4 rally that drew roughly 10,000 participants, Anwar Ibrahim took a hard line on Western countries close to Israel. He said Malaysia “does not bow” to Western opinions or to any country that dictates whom Malaysia should support, according to local media.
On Aug. 11, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement that condemned an Israeli attack in Gaza and that implicitly criticized the U.S. for its continued military support for Israel.
“Malaysia continues to call for Israel’s allies to compel Israel to immediately stop the killings of innocent Palestinians, and stop providing Israel with the tools to continue this genocide,” the statement said.
Malaysia has issued more than 10 statements this year condemning Israeli attacks. But until recently, they had mainly called for a response by the international community or the United Nations.
Malaysia has ramped up its rebukes of Israel and its allies following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. Anwar has maintained relations with Hamas and met with Haniyeh on a visit to Qatar in May.
Malaysia has clashed with Meta, the U.S. parent of Facebook and Instagram. The government protested the removal of posts on which Anwar offered condolences for Haniyeh’s death, calling the deletions “discriminatory” and “unjust.”
On Aug. 5, Malaysian authorities summoned Meta representatives to explain the removals. Meta apologized the next day, citing “an operational error.”
The U.S., a major trading partner of Malaysia, has been wary of funds suspected of flowing through the country to Hamas or Iran. Senior Treasury Department officials visited Malaysia in May to discuss concerns with the government.
Malaysia has maintained that it complies with U.N. sanctions on companies but does not recognize unilateral sanctions.
“Anwar’s unflinching support for the Palestinian group has raised eyebrows in Washington, where concerns about terrorism financing and the Israel-Palestine conflict are deeply entrenched,” wrote Sophie Lemiere, an adjunct fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, in a late-June commentary.
Anwar has been moving closer to countries at odds with the U.S., meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in June and with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in late July.