Malaysia has banned all Israeli-owned or flagged vessels from calling at its ports.
The measure is a response to Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war, and also includes any vessels due to dock in Israel, the office of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.
“This sanction is a response to Israel’s actions that disregard the basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and continuous cruelty against the Palestinian people,” a statement cited by CNN read.
Muslim–majority Malaysia has long been a champion of Palestinian causes.
Like Indonesia, Brunei, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Pakistan, it does not recognise Israel.
Bloomberg described the move as being largely symbolic.
Malaysian passports carry the wording: “Valid for all countries except Israel.” Israeli passport holders cannot enter Malaysia without prior permission.
Israeli vessels have been allowed to call in Malaysia since 2005 or earlier.
But this decision has now been overturned.
“For the record, Zim vessels have been docking in Malaysia since 2002,” the statement said.
It added there was now “a ban on any ship[s] that are heading to Israel from loading cargo at Malaysian ports”.
Anwar said the decision would not hinder Malaysia’s trading activities.
Israeli-affiliated vessels, and ships doing business with Israel, are already the target of Houthi missiles in the Red Sea.
Zim, in common with major container lines, has been rerouting its vessels away from the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Its share price has surged as investors bet on freight rate rises caused by the disruption.
