KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (Reuters) – Malaysia’s ambassador to the United States was summoned by the U.S. State Department to explain Kuala Lumpur’s position on Israel, state media reported, citing the country’s foreign minister.
Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Ambassador Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob told the State Department that Malaysia’s longstanding policy of not recognising Israel was not new.
“It has always been Malaysia’s policy. Our immigration policy does not recognise the State of Israel or the Zionist regime. This has long been our position.”
“There was an individual with dual citizenship, the U.S. and Israel, who entered Malaysia using his U.S. passport. However, subsequent checks revealed that he also held Israeli citizenship, and we asked him to leave,” Bernama cited Mohamad as saying late on Thursday.
Reuters has sought comment from the U.S. embassy in Malaysia.
The row was triggered after Network School, the “digital nomad” community founded in Malaysia by U.S. investor Balaji Srinivasan, came under scrutiny after social media users alleged that it included participants from Israel.
Malaysia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and is known to be a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause.
An immigration probe into the Network School followed, and authorities found that all its participants had valid travel documents. However, it was eventually shut down by authorities on Tuesday.
Eight U.S. congressmen later sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing outrage over Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s plan to track down and immediately deport any Israeli citizens found in Malaysia.
They urged the State Department to review U.S. security and economic ties with Malaysia.
They also called on the State Department to cut off funding for the International Military Education and Training programme, which provides professional U.S. training for Malaysian military personnel, unless the decision is reversed within 15 days.
(Reporting by Ashley Tang; Editing by David Stanway)
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