Mahathir’s Malaysia bans all Israeli nationals from events it hosts

Kuala Lumpur has never established formal diplomatic ties with Israel, and the Prime Minister has long been a fierce critic of the country

The ban includes July’s World Para Swimming Championships, a move criticised by the International Paralympic Committee

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Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s unabashed hardline views and policies towards Israel are viewed in the west as anti-Semitic, though he is dismissive of such a characterisation. Photo: AP

Published: 9:22pm, 16 Jan 2019Updated: 9:22pm, 16 Jan 2019

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s government on Wednesday defended its hardline anti-Israel stance as it declared it would not budge on banning Israeli athletes from an upcoming Paralympics swimming qualifier despite facing criticism for that stance.

Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, met in his ministry by local groups lobbying for the Israeli athletes’ ban, said the government would refrain from hosting events featuring Israeli participants in the future.

The minister said the decision – made by cabinet last week – was premised upon “humanitarian reasons” and was about “fighting on behalf of the oppressed”.

Media reports this week had quoted the International Paralympic Committee criticising the Southeast Asian country’s strict stance on not admitting Israeli athletes, though the organisation said it was holding out hope for a solution.

The event, the World Para Swimming Championships, is to be held in July and is a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

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