PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has backed Putrajaya’s decision to bar Israelis from entering Malaysia, saying it is a justified move to protest against Israel’s “aggression”.

“I think Malaysia has consistently been supportive of the Palestinian cause and I think the cabinet considered this as one of the ways to convey a very strong position against Israeli intransigence and aggression. There is a precedence,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Asked whether he agreed with Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s comments earlier today that the move was justified, Anwar replied: “Of course, it is our decision. What else can we convey?

“They completely ignore the international community’s pressures. So, I think the prime minister made the right decision,” he said after opening the Lembah Pantai office in Kampung Kerinchi. Present were Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi FahFadzil and Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Dr Mahathir was earlier today asked by Oxford Union president Daniel Wilkinson on Malaysia’s ban on Israeli athletes’ participation in the World Para Swimming Championships to be held in Sarawak in July.

Swimmers from some 70 countries are expected to compete in the July 29-Aug 4 championship, an important milestone before next year’s Tokyo Paralympics.

“Many nations today are seeing outsiders coming to their countries and are not very happy about it. They overthrow their governments because they allow immigrants to come in.

“So, a country has the right to keep its border closed to certain people, that is why the border is there, but in Malaysia, we have no diplomatic relations with Israel at all and we feel that they are doing a lot of wrong things but getting away with them because nobody dares to say anything against them,” Dr Mahathir said after delivering the Oxford Union talk that was broadcast live by Astro Awani.

Asked whether it was fair to penalise the Israelis rather than the Israeli government, the prime minister said that it seems that most Israelis support the stand taken by their government.

“We can’t do very much about the Israeli government, they are very powerful. So, we don’t say anything about the Israeli government but we don’t have to show friendship towards them.” – January 19, 2019.