Malaysia’s foreign minister has announced that the country will not host any events in the future involving Israel.
In comments made on Wednesday, Saifuddin Abdullah also said the Malaysian government will not budge over a ban on Israeli athletes in a para swimming competition.
The event in July serves as a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
The foreign minister said that the cabinet affirmed last week that no Israeli delegates can enter Malaysia for sporting or other events.
He added that Malaysia also decided not to host any more events involving Israel “to reflect the government’s firm stance over the Israeli issue”, according to The Associated Press news agency.
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Malaysia, a strong supporter of the Palestinian plight, is among the predominantly Muslim countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Last month, the Malaysian government said in a statement it “strongly” opposed Australia’s controversial decision to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Calling for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Malaysia denounced the move as “premature” and “a humiliation to the Palestinians and their struggle for the right to self-determination.”
