Malaysian official: Refusal to grant entry visas to Israeli team is a sovereign issue

Kuala Lumpur (QNN)- The Malaysian government advisor said that his country’s refusal to grant entry visas to the Israeli squash team is a sovereign issue for Malaysia, reaffirming his government’s firm position in supporting the Palestinian cause.

In a special statement to Al Jazeera, Abdul Razzaq Ahmed stated that Malaysia’s refusal to grant entry visas to the Israeli squash team “is a sovereign issue for Malaysia.”

He added that such move is consistent with Malaysia’s firm position in supporting the rights of the Palestinians and rejecting the occupation of Palestine.

Abdul Razzaq Ahmed pointed out that this is also consistent with the feelings of the Malaysian people who stand in solidarity with the issue of the Palestinian people, and Malaysia’s principled positions in rejecting apartheid.

The Malaysian government advisor recalled similar historical Malaysian positions, including the boycott of the former apartheid regime in South Africa and the refusal to receive its sports teams.

He ruled out that Malaysia’s refusal to normalize ties with the occupation state of ‘Israel’ would lead to isolating Malaysia, in light of the Western support for normalization deals.

He added that Malaysia is a civilized country that enjoys a solid international network of relations in various aspects, and that it does not need to establish relations with “an entity based on the oppression and persecution of other people, and which continues its inhumane practices.”

The Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) refused to grant the Israeli Squash Association entry to the country for the world championships which was set for December 7.

The Malaysian passports bear the inscription “This passport is valid for all countries except Israel.”

Last Monday, the Men’s World Team Squash Championship was canceled, following Malaysia’s decision not to permit the Israeli team to enter the country and also amid concerns about the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Malaysia has an important role in supporting the Palestinian cause. It always calls for an end to the Israeli occupation and granting the Palestinian people all their rights. It also rejects normalisation with the Israeli occupation.