SHAH ALAM, July 22 — Eight United States congressmen have submitted a letter to US State Secretary Marco Rubio expressing their dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks on expelling Israelis from Malaysia.
The letter, delivered yesterday, was signed by Greg Landsman, Josh Gottheimer, Jimmy Panetta, Dan Goldman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz, Brad Sherman and Jake Auchincloss from the Democratic Party, according to Berita Harian.
In the letter, uploaded by Landsman to his Facebook page, the lawmakers expressed grave concerns over Anwar’s comments and urged Washington take strict action over the Malaysian prime minister’s allegedly anti-semitic sentiment.
They also urged the US government to pull security aid for Malaysia, including the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme that funds Malaysian soldiers’ training in the US, saying IMET funding should be suspended if Putrajaya doesn’t revoke the “discriminatory” policy within 15 days.
The congressmen further claimed Malaysia is allegedly a training ground for Hamas because of its open ties with the Palestinian group.
“Based on the diplomatic leverage it has, we believe the US should make it clear to (Anwar) and his government that our assistance and support follows the expectation that they will not target the citizens of one of our closest allies.
“We respectfully request that the State Department explain the steps being taken in response to (Anwar’s) statement.
“We strongly urge that the department use all available instruments to ensure that the Malaysian government is accountable for its actions,” read the letter.
Recently, Anwar said Malaysia would deport Israelis with dual citizenship allegedly residing here. Malaysia does not recognise Israel as a country and has no diplomatic ties with it.
He said this when commenting on the Johor government’s call for authorities to investigate the tech community in Forest City, known as Network School, following allegations that an Israeli citizen with dual citizenship lives there.
Earlier today, it was reported that the Network School in Forest City has ceased operations, with one of its buildings sealed off following the revocation of NSO Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s business licence by the Iskandar Puteri City Council.
According to The Star, the council’s enforcement officers arrived at the site around 11.40am today for an inspection, before sealing off an entrance and putting up a closure notice.
