SEREMBAN, July 22 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reaffirmed that Malaysia will continue to bar Israelis from entering the country despite objections raised by eight United States congressmen.
Anwar said the government’s position is guided by its commitment to defending the rights of the people and opposing the oppression, aggression and continued killing of Palestinians in Gaza.
He stressed that the policy is not new and has been in place for decades, and should already be well known to the US.
“Several members of the US Congress have criticised me over Malaysia’s decision to bar Israeli nationals from entering the country and from participating in companies and related activities.
“That will not deter us. They may issue threats, but I will firmly defend the rights of the Malaysian people and uphold the government’s decision to continue prohibiting the entry of any Israeli national into Malaysia,” he told reporters after launching the Jelajah Rakan Muda programme at the Youth and Sports Complex (KOMBES) in Paroi.
Anwar was responding to a statement issued by eight US congressmen yesterday, who sent a letter to US State Secretary Marco Rubio expressing their dissatisfaction with Anwar’s call to deport Israelis in Malaysia.
The eight Democratic Party lawmakers are Greg Landsman, Josh Gottheimer, Jimmy Panetta, Dan Goldman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz, Brad Sherman, and Jake Auchincloss.
“How can elected representatives in that country remain silent over the killing of children, civilians and women, the destruction of homes and the occupation of land?
“Malaysia is an independent nation. Even if those making such statements are not free to speak out, we are free to express our views,” Anwar said.
Asked whether the issue could affect Malaysia-US bilateral relations, Anwar said it should not.
On allegations linking Malaysia to Hamas, Anwar said he has never hidden his meetings with the group’s leaders, explaining that those meetings were held to express sympathy for families affected by bombings and killings.
