MEDIA STATEMENT FROM BDS MALAYSIA
7 January 2019
Boycott, Divest, Sanctions Malaysia (BDS Malaysia) applauds wholeheartedly the Malaysian government’s action in not allowing Israeli athletes into the country for the World Para Swimming Championships due to be held in July this year.
Such action is fully in keeping with the long held policy of the Malaysian government to bar any Israeli passport holder from entering the country. The Malaysian government must maintain this policy firmly and unwaveringly and not make any exception.
Lessons must be learnt. In 2017, the previous administration of the Malaysian government was foolish enough to surreptitiously allow Israeli diplomats into the country. And the upshot was the Zionist propaganda machine doing a song and dance with the sub-text that another Muslim-majority country finds Israeli policies towards Palestinians acceptable. That mistake must never be repeated.
As can be seen during the Great Return March by Palestinians in Gaza, the Zionist regime has no compunction in instructing its military sharpshooters to target unarmed men, women and children including journalists, nurses in full uniform and worst of all, the physically disabled. Before anyone spews any nonsense about sports and politics not mixing , he or she would do well to remember that in the Great Return March, 241 civilians, including 42 children under 18, 5 women, 3 paramedics, 2 journalists were killed and 26,140 others were injured, almost all by Israeli sharpshooters who could clearly see who they were shooting at. No human being or country in its right mind should want to have anything to do with such a murderous regime whether in sports, trade, culture or any other area. Boycotting and isolating Israel is the very least that can and should be done to express moral outrage. If it worked against apartheid South Africa, it will work against apartheid Israel. The Malaysian government is doing the right thing in barring Israelis from this country.