According to Malaysia's "Guanghua Daily" and Bernama News Agency reported on the 4th, Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahi is highly concerned about this, and he bluntly said that Malaysia cannot compromise on this issue.
According to the report, a van carrying containers of Israeli shipping company ZIM passed through the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) checkpoint on June 2 at around 12 noon from Thailand.
During a scan inspection, the operator found that the container carrying frozen chickens had a "ZIM" sign on the outside wall, and then detained the truck. After a joint inspection by the state Customs Bureau and relevant government agencies, the vehicle was banned from entering Malaysia and returned to Thailand.
"We have no diplomatic relations with Israel, including direct commercial relations. This is an issue that concerns all Malaysians and I don't think we can compromise on it." Zahid stressed at a news conference that he hoped the Malaysian Ministry of Transport would further monitor and prevent such a situation from happening again.
In addition to the Glass City border crossing, there are Malaysian citizens who have previously reported that containers with the "ZIM" logo have also appeared at the Princess Iskandar City Port in Johor. Other citizens said the port was still allowing containers from Israel to pass through.
A van carrying containers bearing the logo of Israeli shipping company ZIM prepares to enter Malaysia from Thailand (Bernama)
Ahmad Zahi said that if Israeli cargo enters any Malaysian port through a third party, it should be monitored by the authorities. He said the authorities should take immediate action, "this is not only a trade issue, we need to closely examine where the loopholes are, paying particular attention to how the containers in question entered the port and how they violated the strict regulations."
The strict rules he was referring to were the two permanent bans that Malaysia announced in December: a ban on all Israeli-flagged vessels from docking at any Malaysian port, and a ban on any Israeli-bound cargo ships from loading cargo at the country's ports.
On the 5th, Malaysia's Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi said that the Malaysian government is closely watching the matter, even if the company's containers are rented by other companies, it will not change Malaysia's decision to "ban" it.
Screenshot of Anwar's previous Twitter statement
Malaysia and Palestine are both regions where Islam is the main religion, and the two countries share religious and cultural ties. Malaysia has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause, advocating a "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On December 20, 2023, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced sanctions against Israel, singling out ZIM and banning its vessels from docking at any port in the country. He said the move was a response to Israel's continued atrocities of killing Palestinians in defiance of basic human principles and in violation of international law.
Malaysia's cabinet first allowed ZIM vessels to dock in the country in 2002, and later extended the decision to allow them to load and unload cargo in 2005, the statement said. "Now, however, the government has decided to cancel all the decisions of the past cabinet."
Anwar stressed at the time that the government was confident that the bans would not affect trade activities in Malaysia.
Like neighboring Indonesia, Brunei, Bangladesh, Maldives and Pakistan, Malaysia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. The inside pages of Malaysian passports have also long been marked with the words "valid for all countries except Israel", and Israeli passport holders are not allowed to enter Malaysia without prior permission.