Malaysian FM says dual US-Israeli citizen entered on US passport but was ordered to leave after citizenship checks
\nKuala Lumpur
\nMalaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday vowed to maintain the Southeast Asian nation\u2019s policy of denying entry to Israeli nationals.
\nAnwar said Kuala Lumpur was guided by its commitment to defending the rights of the people and opposing the \u201coppression, aggression and continued killing\u201d of Palestinians in Gaza, state-run news agency Bernama reported.
\nHe emphasised that the policy was not new, saying it had been in place for decades and \u201cshould already be well known to the United States.\u201d
\n\u201cSeveral members of the US Congress have criticised me over Malaysia\u2019s decision to bar Israeli nationals from entering the country and from participating in companies and related activities,\u201d Anwar said.
\n\u201cThat will not deter us. They may issue threats, but I will firmly defend the rights of the Malaysian people and uphold the government\u2019s decision to continue prohibiting the entry of any Israeli national into Malaysia,\u201d he added.
\nEight Democratic US representatives have sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week expressing dissatisfaction with Malaysia\u2019s plan to deport Israeli citizens found in the country.
\nMalaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on Thursday said that a dual US-Israeli citizen had entered Malaysia using a US passport but was asked to leave after checks revealed his Israeli citizenship.
\nThe US lawmakers called on the State Department to \u201cclarify what steps it is taking in response\u201d and urged it to suspend International Military Education and Training funding to Malaysia if the policy is not reversed.
\n\u201cHow can elected representatives in that country (the US) remain silent over the killing of children, civilians and women, the destruction of homes and the occupation of land?\u201d Anwar questioned.
\n\u201cMalaysia is an independent nation. Even if those making such statements are not free to speak out, we are free to express our views,\u201d said the 78-year-old Malaysian academic-turned premier, who previously taught at the US-based Georgetown University.
\nHe added this matter should not affect bilateral ties with Washington.
\nHasan said Malaysia\u2019s ambassador to Washington explained Kuala Lumpur\u2019s position to the US State Department.
\nMalaysia\u2019s immigration policy does not recognise \u201cthe State of Israel or the Zionist regime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Malaysian FM says dual US-Israeli citizen entered on US passport but was ordered to leave after citizenship checks Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday vowed to maintain the Southeast Asian nation\u2019s policy of denying entry to Israeli nationals. Anwar said Kuala Lumpur was guided by its commitment to defending the rights of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-558000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n