Govt bans Israeli-owned ships from docking in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian government has decided to no longer accept ships with the Israeli flag to dock in the country with immediate effect.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government has also imposed a ban on any ship en route to Israel from loading cargo at Malaysian ports.

"These restrictions are a response to Israel's actions that ignore basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through continuous massacres and atrocities against the Palestinians," he said in a statement here today.

He said the government is confident that the decisions will not affect Malaysian trade activities.

In addition, Anwar, who is also the Minister of Finance, said the government also decided to block and disallow the Israeli-based shipping company, ZIM, from docking at any port in the country with immediate effect.

“For the record, the Cabinet began permitting ships owned by this company to dock in Malaysia in 2002.

"In 2005, the Cabinet at that time granted permission for those ships to land in Malaysia. However, the current government has decided to revoke all previous Cabinet decisions,” he added.