Alwaght- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said the Israeli regime is “a state of robbers”, saying his country enjoys friendly relations with every country in the world except Israel.
“We are not against Jews but we cannot recognize Israel because of its occupation of Palestinian land,” Mahathir said in remarks aired by local broadcasters during his three-day visit to Pakistan.
“You cannot seize others’ lands, and form a state. It’s like a state of robbers,” he added.
Earlier in January Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad defended Malaysia’s ban on Israeli regime's athletes from taking part in international events, comparing the move to President Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall along the United States’ border with Mexico.
"Every country has the right to accept or refuse entry of anybody," the Malaysian premier said during a press conference in Vienna, adding "You can see that in America now they are erecting a very high wall to prevent Mexicans from going to America."
"We have the same idea, that people who are undesirable for our country will be kept out of our country," Mahathir added.
"If their people want to compete in sport, they can go to some other country."
Malaysia recently said it would not allow Israeli athletes to enter the country to compete at any sporting event there after it banned Israeli swimmers from taking part in the World Para Swimming Championships, slated for July in the eastern state of Sarawak.
Brandishing Israel "a criminal" entity, Mahathir said the Israeli athletes came from an entity which does what it desires, including building settlements in other people's territories and excluding the very people from their homeland.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Malaysian prime minister denounced the Israeli regime's siege of the Gaza Strip.
"They have raided our ship carrying aid to the Gaza people, there are many other things done by Israel that are against international laws and against morality," he told reporters.
Kuala Lumpur, which has no formal diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, has rejected pleas from the world sporting body the International Paralympic Committee to find a solution to the row. Malaysia has stopped Israeli athletes from competing in a sports event before. Two Israeli windsurfers had to pull out of a competition on Langkawi island after they were denied visa in 2015.
