ANWAR IMPOSES BAN ON ISRAELI SHIPS
Restriction is in response to assault and brutality towards Palestinian people, prime minister says
Malaysia yesterday said it would bar vessels owned by Israeli shipping firm Zim from docking and unloading cargo at its ports, along with any ship bearing the Israeli flag, as global outrage surges over the mounting Palestinian death toll in Gaza.
Malaysia has for decades staunchly backed the Palestinian cause, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim accusing Israel of conducting “genocide” by levelling Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas assault that killed 1,140 people in southern Israel.
So far, nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, with an untold number believed to be buried under pancaked buildings and hundreds of thousands more forced from their homes, spurring further condemnation this week at the United Nations.
Shipping lines in and out of Israel have suffered significant disruptions since mid-November, after Yemen’s Houthi militants stepped up attacks on vessels it deems to be linked to Israel in the crucial Red Sea shipping lane. Houthi rebels are supported by Iran, also widely believed to be a key underwriter of Hamas.
The attacks have led oil major BP and shipping company Maersk to suspend Red Sea operations, sending energy and freight prices up and triggering pressure on new cargo routes.
Announcing the ban in a statement, Anwar said the decision to terminate the existing deal with Israel’s Zim – one of the world’s largest shipping lines – would take immediate effect.
“The ban is in response to Israel’s disregard for basic human rights and international law through its continued assault and brutality towards the people of Palestine,” Anwar said.
The government would also impose an immediate ban on ships bearing Israel’s flag from docking at Malaysian ports, while ships en route to Israel would not be allowed to load any cargo while in the Southeast Asian nation, he said.
Anwar said Malaysia’s cabinet had in 2002 allowed vessels operated by Zim to dock in the country, and later in 2005 extended it to landing cargo.
Malaysia’s main port of Klang is a major gateway and transshipment hub for cargo moving through the South China Sea. It was ranked the 12th busiest port in the world in 2021, though it trails behind Singapore which handled the second-highest volume of shipments globally the same year.
The Houthi attacks have seen attempts to hijack, bomb or divert vessels, forcing shipping companies to either stop or introduce additional surcharges for deliveries to Israel, according to a Reuters report, even after Israel’s government said in October that it would provide compensation for ships damaged due to its war with Hamas.
Zim said in an advisory that it had imposed higher surcharges on its ships, which it said was necessary to maintain its level of services and safety of crews, vessels and cargo due to “an increase in the level of the threat”.
Israel has faced growing criticism, including from its allies, over the soaring number of civilian casualties in Gaza – including many believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings – with sustained protests in major Western cities over the military campaign.
France, Britain and Germany had on Sunday reportedly backed calls for a ceasefire, and US President Joe Biden last week described the bombings as “indiscriminate”.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Monday said it was a “moral duty and strategic imperative” for Israel to reduce harm to civilians in its offensive, warning excessive violence would only cause resentment that would benefit Hamas and stymie efforts towards peaceful coexistence.
The ban is in response to Israel’s disregard for basic human rights and international law
PRIME MINISTER ANWAR IBRAHIM