Ships with the Israeli flag will not be allowed to dock in Malaysia with immediate effect, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on Wednesday.
Any vessels en route to Israel will also be banned from loading cargo at Malaysian ports.
“These restrictions are a response to Israel’s actions that ignore basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through continuous massacres and atrocities against the Palestinians,” said Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister of Malaysia.
He said the government is confident that the decisions will not affect Malaysian trade activities.
In addition, Anwar said the government decided to block the Israeli-based shipping company, ZIM, from docking at any port in the country with immediate effect.
“For the record, the Cabinet began permitting ships owned by this company to dock in Malaysia in 2002. In 2005, the Cabinet at that time granted permission for those ships to land in Malaysia. However, the current government has decided to revoke all previous Cabinet decisions,” he added.
Malaysia is a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and does not have any diplomatic ties with Israel, nor does it recognise the Zionist entity as a legitimate country. By contrast, Malaysia has several direct connections with Hamas, offering a safe haven for Palestinian freedom fighters and activists. Anwar Ibrahim has refused to bow to repeated Western pressure for him to cut ties with Hamas.
