Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of the Royal Malaysian Navy Perak, 31 March 2009. By Ignacio Olivares Ortega, via Wikimedia.
The Malaysian government announced on December 20 that it had imposed a ban on all Israeli owned and flagged ships, as well as any vessels headed to Israel, from docking at its ports in response to the ongoing war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
The announcement by the office of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that the ban would take place with immediate effect.
“This sanction is a response to Israel’s actions that disregard the basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and continuous cruelty against the Palestinian people,” the PM’s office said in a statement.
The statement noted that Israeli-registered companies and ships had been previously allowed to dock in the country since 2005.
“However, the government today has decided to override the past Cabinet’s decision to not allow ships using Israeli flags to dock in the country,” it said.
The PM office statement also singled out the Israel-based global shipping company ZIM. “For the record, ZIM vessels have been docking in Malaysia since 2002.” It added that Malaysia also imposed “a ban on any ship that is heading to Israel from loading cargo at Malaysian ports.”
Muslim–majority Malaysia does not recognize Israel, just like nearby Indonesia, Brunei, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Pakistan. PM Anwar remains one of the most outspoken world leaders against Israel as well as its backers in the United States.
The Israeli war on Gaza, which broke out after the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack, has so far claimed the lives of more than 19,000 Palestinians.
The Malaysian ban will further complicate shipping to Israel and harm the country’s economy as well as Israeli investments in shipping abroad. Israel is already facing a naval blockade in the Red Sea that was imposed by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen.
