Segala fakta yang ditulis dalam artikel pendek ini adalah dipetik dari Artikel asal bertajuk 'Malaysia: Anti-Semitism without Jews*' yang ditulis oleh Dr. Moshe Yegar, diterbitkan dalam Jewish Political Studies Review 18:3-4 (Fall 2006), Oktober 2006. Cuba juga nak translate tapi tak larat takut lari makna....
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Biodata Penulis:
DR. MOSHE YEGAR joined the Israeli Foreign Service in 1956 and retired in 1995. He served, among other places, as consul-general in New York (1985-1988), ambassador in Stockholm (1988-1990), and ambassador in Prague (1993-1995). He is the author of three books on Islam in Southeast Asia and five books on various issues of Israel's foreign policy. His most recent book (in Hebrew) is on the history of Israel's diplomacy in Asia.
Sinopsis:
Since its establishment (initially as Malaya) in 1957, Malaysia has rejected formal diplomatic relations with Israel and has kept contacts on a low flame at best. Reasons include Malaysia's desire to cultivate ties with the Arab countries and the power of domestic Islamic trends. Malaysian animus toward Israel grew during the 1960s, although a certain level of commercial activity between the two countries was tolerated. In 1981 the openly anti-Semitic Dato Mahathir bin Muhamad was elected Malaysia's prime minister, and he continued his public condemnations of Israel and Jews while strengthening Malaysia's support for the PLO. Although during the Oslo era he somewhat moderated his statements, he ended his tenure in October 2003 with an anti-Semitic diatribe at a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Since then Malaysia has remained cool toward Israel, claiming that relations depend on a solution of the Palestinian problem.
Translator: By Google (Kurang cantik terjemahannya)
Sejak penubuhan (pada mulanya sebagai Malaya) pada tahun 1957, Malaysia telah menolak hubungan diplomatik dengan negara Israel secara rasmi dan telah disimpan kenalan pada nyalaan yang rendah pada tahap terbaik. Sebab-sebab termasuk hasrat Malaysia untuk memupuk hubungan dengan negara-negara Arab dan kuasa trend Islam domestik. Kebencian terhadap Israel Malaysia berkembang pada tahun-tahun 1960-an, walaupun tahap aktiviti perdagangan antara kedua-dua negara telah dibiarkan. Pada tahun 1981 Dato secara terang-terangan anti-Semitik Mahathir bin Muhamad dilantik Perdana Menteri Malaysia, dan dia terus dikutuk awam Israel dan Yahudi pada masa yang sama mengukuhkan sokongan Malaysia untuk PLO. Walaupun semasa era Oslo beliau agak sederhana kenyataannya, beliau mengakhiri tempoh perkhidmatan beliau pada Oktober 2003 dengan serangan kata-kata anti-Semitik pada mesyuarat Pertubuhan Persidangan Islam. Sejak itu Malaysia masih kekal sejuk terhadap Israel, dengan mendakwa bahawa hubungan bergantung kepada penyelesaian masalah Palestin.
Untuk mendapat simpati dari kalangan pemimpin Arab, terutamanya Mesir, maka penulis mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa negara Malaysia sengaja mengamalkan dasar pembangunan berasaskan negara Islam dengan menekankan "Perpaduan Muslim" dan usaha ini berterusan dari tahun 1965 dan seterusnya. Sementara itu, pelbagai pemimpin Malaysia membuat pengisytiharan sebagai anti-Israel dan menentang Israel dalam kedua-dua konteks dua hala dan antarabangsa. Bagaimanapun Israel tidak putus asa sentiasa berusaha memujuk dan terus memujuk sama ada secara langsung atau tidak langsung. Mari kita lihat bagaimana bujukan pemimpin Israel untuk mengadakan hubungan dengan Malaysia sejak zaman Tunku Abdul Rahman lagi.
1956 :
Hubungan Politik Israel-Malaya yang pertama wujud apabila Sharett Moshe melawat Kuala Lumpur pada tahun 1956 sebagai sebahagian daripada lawatan ke Asia. Sharett adalah Perdana Menteri Israel yang juga Menteri Luar pada masa itu telah melawat Asia di bawah tajaan Kementerian Luar (Kementerian Luar pada ketika itu masih dipegang oleh British). "Tunku" (gelaran bangsawan Abdul Rahman) yang dijangka akan diberi tugas sebagai Perdana Menteri selepas pemberian kemerdekaan, telah menyambut baik ketibaan Sharett.
Sharett bertemu dengan Tunku pada 14 Oktober 1956. Sharett mencadangkan agar satu konsul Israel akan dilantik di Kuala Lumpur. Selepas merdeka, ia akan dinaikkan taraf sebagai duta. Menurut Sharett, Tunku pada ketika itu menyambut baik cadangan itu yang disifatkan oleh Sharett sebagai "menggalakkan tanpa teragak-agak" dan "mengalu-alukan cadangan itu dengan senang hati." Tunku juga berkata, bagaimanapun, idea itu akan diluluskan oleh British Foreign Office, yang bertanggungjawab terhadap hubungan luar sehingga kemerdekaan. Sebelum perpisahan mereka, Tunku mengulangi kelulusan sendiri dan berkata, "Ia akan dianggap sebagai satu penghormatan bagi kita untuk mempunyai seorang wakil diplomatik dari negara Israel di sini."
13 February 1957:
Kementerian Luar Israel (Bahagian Asia dan Afrika)telah mengarahkan Duta Israel di London untuk melobi Pejabat Luar British supaya membenarkan untuk membuka konsulat di Malaya.
13 August 1957:
Pejabat Luar British (British Foreign Office) menasihati Kedutaan Israel agar menunggu sehingga Kemerdekaan Malaya pada 31 Ogos 1957. Dan di minta berunding dengan kerajaan baru yang dibentuk.
26 August 1957:
Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion menghantara Surat Tahniah kepada Tunku dan memberi Israel sudah bersedia untuk menubuhkan "appropriate representation" di Kuala Lumpur. Sebagai balasan Israel juga akan mengundi untuk menerima Malaya di United Nations.
23 December 1957:
a member of Malaya's UN delegation told a member of the Israeli delegation that Malaya recognized Israel but had no intention of establishing diplomatic ties with it.
10 November 1959:
the Israeli envoy to Australia, Moshe Yuval, reported that he had met the day before with the Tunku during the latter's visit to Australia.
Among other things, the Tunku told him: "I remember my conversation with Mr. Sharett. The leadership of Malaya knows the character of Israel very well, but the Muslim masses in our country are opposed to you. Therefore, we cannot establish diplomatic relations with you."
Concurrently, the Tunku promised Arab governments that Malaya would not open formal ties with Israel, and this was reported in Jordanian newspapers.
August 1960:
Israel have a new opportunity arose to convey a message to the Malayan government. Because of expense, the Israel Football Association was unable to send a representative to a conference of the Asian Football Federation in Kuala Lampur, of which Israel was a member and the Tunku was president. The Israel Football Association requested that the Foreign Ministry dispatch someone to Kuala Lumpur from a nearby embassy. The Foreign Ministry decided to send this author, then serving as the second secretary in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar).
In the course of a conversation with the Tunku, he explained that establishing diplomatic relations with Israel would give the opposition radical-Islamic political party ammunition to weaken the government. Nevertheless, the warm hospitality and expression of goodwill by the Tunku and other major Malay figures raised the Israeli Foreign Ministry's hope that Malaya would not rebuff various Israeli attempts at contacts, eventually laying the groundwork for diplomatic ties. One idea was to open a consulate in Singapore, then a separate British Crown Colony, that would handle affairs concerning nearby Malaya.
25 November 1961:
the Tunku visited London. Israeli ambassador Arthur Lurie met with him on 25 November. Lurie expressed Israel's disappointment at the lack of diplomatic ties and suggested beginning by appointing a lower-level representative such as a consul. The Tunku responded that pro-Arab groups strongly opposed Malaya recognizing Israel, and that the Arab countries, especially Egypt, pressured Malaya in this regard.
He said he would welcome, however, the development of commercial relations and suggested opening a consulate in Singapore, which was then the center of Malayan commercial activity.
March 1963:
The Israeli commercial company Astraco, which had branches in other Asian countries, had earlier opened an office in Singapore. In March 1963, the Malayan Foreign Ministry granted it a license to open a branch, known as Interasia, in Kuala Lumpur.
16 September 1963:
The Federation of Malaysia was formally established on 16 September 1963. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir sent the Tunku a congratulatory telegram.
Early in 1964:
less than a year after opening the office in Kuala Lumpur, Astraco decided that it had no economic justification and the Singapore office could handle commerce with Malaya. The head of the company conveyed this to the director of the Asian and African Division of the Foreign Ministry. The question arose as to whether it was worth continuing the office in any way possible so as to maintain an Israeli presence in Kuala Lumpur. A Foreign Ministry official could be sent to manage the Interasia branch and attempt to promote relations between the two countries. The present author volunteered for this assignment.
October 1964:
In the wake of the Conference of Nonaligned Nations in October 1964, Malaysia wanted all the more to be accepted among the Afro-Asian countries.
By 1965:
its attitude toward Israel was increasingly antagonistic. Its diplomats avoided Israeli counterparts, and it refused to grant entry permits to Israelis, engaged in anti-Israeli initiatives at the United Nations, and made belligerently anti-Israeli, sometimes even anti-Semitic, declarations in the United Nations, international agencies, and so on.
In 1965:
Four (4) Malaysians participated in courses at the Afro-Asian Institute in Israel, and another came to Israel for an advanced course on education.
From 1966:
No more Malaysians came to Israel for studies.
23 August 1966:
In the parliament in Kuala Lumpur on 23 August 1966, the Tunku stated that Malaysia did not recognize Israel. He even berated Singapore, which by then was independent, for having Israeli advisers, and compared Singapore's status in Southeast Asia as an enclave surrounded by Muslim Malaysia and Indonesia to that of Israel surrounded by Arab countries.
As of January 1968:
Israeli seamen arriving at Malaysian ports were forbidden to disembark from their ships.
In 1974:
Trade with Israel and the granting of entry permits to Israelis were completely prohibited.
By 1991:
Five years after Malaya's independence, it had diplomatic relations only with Egypt and Saudi Arabia among the Arab countries. After 1967 this increased, and by 1991 Malaysia had relations with all of them.
In August 1968:
Nevertheless, impromptu interactions with Israel continued. In August 1968 Abd al-Rahman, a businessman and son of the Tunku, came to Israel on the initiative of and accompanied by the Israeli entrepreneur Shaul Eisenberg. Abd al-Rahman represented a Malaysian lumber company and met with people in that field during his visit.
In November 1969:
Malaysian representatives of the Asian Sports Federation asked their Israeli colleagues to support Malaysia's bid to host the Asia Games in 1974. They claimed that the Tunku was obligated to prevent discrimination of the kind that occurred when Israel was not invited to the Asian Games in Jakarta in 1962.
1971:
The Tunku retired as prime minister in 1971 and was appointed the head secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
From 1971 to 1981:
Two Malaysian prime ministers continued the policy toward Israel but took no particular interest in the Jewish state.
1 July 1981:
The situation changed when Dr. Dato Mahathir bin Muhamad was elected prime minister on 1 July 1981. Mahathir introduced a different style. His book The Malay Dilemma, written in 1969 in the wake of Malay-Chinese riots, manifests his racist outlook. In this generally anti-Chinese work, Mahathir maintained that races are distinguished not only by ethnic origin but also by many other characteristics. The Jews, for example, not only have hooked noses but also an instinctive understanding of finances. Sale of the book was banned in Malaysia, and Mahathir was temporarily expelled from the ruling Malay political party.
A short time later, he was reinstated and intensified his political activity, eventually becoming education minister and later prime minister. A radical Muslim, Mahathir was severely anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic and gave Malaysia's foreign policy a new tone toward Israel and in general.
On 27 January 1981:
During Mahathir's years as prime minister he made extreme anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic statements, some of which achieved wide resonance. Mahathir nurtured anti-Semitism in a Malaysia that was without Jews. On 27 January 1981, in a speech in Saudi Arabia, he urged regaining the Palestinian lands by force since Israel was not invincible. He also, as will be discussed, vilified Israel at major venues.
In June 1983:
Mahathir issued a statement attacking Israel for its incursion into Lebanon and calling it "the most immoral country in the world."
In October 1983:
At the OIC's Sixth Conference on Palestine held in New York, Malaysia expressed concern about Israel's renewed activities in Africa and called for their immediate halt. Malaysia opposed establishing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and supported the resolution at the Jerusalem Conference of the OIC (New York, April 1984) to sever ties with any country that moved its ambassador to Jerusalem.
In August 1982:
Malaysia supported the PLO more strongly than did any other Southeast Asian country. In 1969, Malaysia was the first Asian country to permit Fatah to open an office in its capital, which in 1974 became a PLO office. In August 1982, under Mahathir, this office was given full diplomatic recognition. Malaysia's foreign minister claimed that Israel should recognize the PLO before demanding that it recognize Israel.
In May 1983:
Malaysia hosted a conference on the Palestine question with UN funding and expressed anti-Israeli propaganda in its media. Yasser Arafat, paying an official visit to Malaysia in July 1984, was received by the king and spoke to a large audience.
In August 1984:
a visit to Kuala Lumpur by the New York Philharmonic was canceled because of the Malaysian information minister's demand that a work by the Swiss Jewish composer Ernst Bloch be removed from the program. The minister's statement on the matter included anti-Semitic expressions.
From 1983 onward:
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was published and disseminated in Malaysia.
On 12 August 1983:
Mahathir asserted in a speech to the Malaysian Press Club that Jews and Zionists controlled the international media. He repeated this charge four days later and added that the journalists working for foreign newspapers under Jewish control were trying to destabilize Malaysia through distorted reports. He called the Wall Street Journal a Jewish tool.
September 1986:
In a speech in September 1986 at the summit of the Nonaligned Nations in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, Mahathir complained that the Jews' exile two thousand years ago and their persecution under the Nazis had not taught them anything. On the contrary, these persecutions had turned them into the very monsters they vilified in their own propaganda; they had become the gifted students of Goebbels.
10 October 1986:
In another speech to the Malaysian parliament on 10 October 1986, Mahathir referred to attempts by Zionists to use Malaysian individuals and groups to damage the country's economy. He also blamed the "Zionist press" in Western countries for the low level of American investment in Malaysia. He often attacked the New York Times and the Asian Wall Street Journal as Zionist publications.
November 1986:
Israeli president Chaim Herzog's visit to Singapore in November 1986 evoked harsh Malaysian reactions including bitter condemnations of Israel and Zionism. There were calls to cut off Singapore's water supply and burn its flag.
In 1992:
Mahathir and Malaysian diplomatic representatives made constant belligerent speeches about Israel, often condemning it for causing suffering to the Palestinians. In 1992, Malaysia denied entry to a delegate from Israel's El Al airlines for the International Flight Conference in Kuala Lumpur. In December that year, it denied entry to an Israeli football player on the Liverpool team, and the team canceled its visit to Malaysia.
In March 1994:
Mahathir prohibited the screening of Steven Spielberg's movie Schindler's List on the ground that it was an anti-German propaganda film aimed at winning support for Jews and contained too much violence. When this evoked protests in the United States and Australia, the Malaysia cabinet canceled the prohibition against the film but required that seven scenes with violence or sex be cut. Spielberg, however, insisted that the film be shown in its entirety or not at all. In the end, it was decided to remove all his films from Malaysia.
Early in 1992:
Israel began normalizing its relations with China, India, and other Asian countries. This drew its Foreign Ministry's attention to the Muslim countries in Asia. The view regarding Malaysia was that Mahathir was an anti-Semite and there was no chance of changing his country's hostile policy so long as he was prime minister.
20 August 1993:
The signing of the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on 20 August 1993 brought Mahathir to lower his tone. Malaysia's deputy foreign minister announced in parliament that Malaysia welcomed the Israeli-PLO agreement. Mahathir, on a different occasion, said Malaysia would consider diplomatic relations with Israel, but first Israel had to do more to bring peace to the Middle East. He expressed hope that Israelis and Palestinians could now live in peace and that all Palestinian land would be returned, and pointed out that the future status of Jerusalem remained unresolved.
The deputy minister of international trade and industry said Malaysia aimed to penetrate the Israeli market as soon as the two countries set up diplomatic relations; meanwhile, the trade and economic sanctions against Israel would continue. The foreign minister said Malaysia would pledge $5 million to help the Palestinians govern Gaza and Jericho, would help them develop the infrastructure in areas evacuated by Israel, and would provide technical assistance in the administrative and police domains. The PLO ambassador to Malaysia claimed it was the first country to offer assistance to the PLO after the signing of the agreement with Israel.
On 28 December 1993:
However, Mahathir announced at a press conference that Malaysia was not yet ready to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. By then several Gulf states had done so, but Malaysia's stance was that Israel still had much to do. For example, Israel had not announced its acceptance of a Palestinian state or that it would cease "terrorist activities" even as the Palestinians were asked to end their own terror tactics.
On 14 July 1994:
the brother of the king of Malaysia, Tunku Abdallah bin Tunku abd Al-Rahman, paid a private visit to Israel. He was the chairman of a consortium of commercial and investment companies. Among others, Tunku Abdallah met with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. When the visit was made known in Malaysia, Mahathir denied that the government had arranged it or that Tunku Abdallah was on a diplomatic mission. He said he did not know about the trip and believed it was strictly for business.
on 16 July, 1994:
On returning to Kuala Lumpur on 16 July, Tunku Abdallah said his visit was entirely private and aimed at checking the feasibility of opening commercial relations in tourism and technology, and this was in the framework of his trip to Europe. He claimed Israel had exploited his visit for political advantage since he was the king's brother, and that his meetings with Rabin and Peres were of a social nature only. He apologized to all those who were offended by the visit.
Nevertheless, the justice minister threatened that the police would investigate Tunku Abdallah and confiscate his passport for breaking the law by visiting Israel.
While the Malaysia government and media were occupied with Tunku Abdallah's visit, Mahathir announced that Rabin had written to him to suggest establishing diplomatic relations in light of the improved Israeli-PLO ties.
Mahathir had replied, he said, that Malaysia opposed such relations until Israel and the PLO resolved all the remaining issues between them. He told the press, moreover, that he was not convinced of Israel's sincerity in its peace talks with the PLO, since "Israel continues to humiliate the Palestinians and has no intention of returning Jerusalem to them."
Although Rabin believed this was the right time to advance relations with the Asian Muslim countries, his overture to Mahathir was merely tentative.
9 October 1994:
Meanwhile, Malaysia had no intention to revoke its trade embargo with Israel. In a visit to Jordan on 9 October 1994, Mahathir explained at a press conference that Malaysia would decide whether to recognize Israel only after it signed peace treaties with all the Arab countries and fulfilled all the Arab demands including with respect to Jerusalem.
During 1994:
At that time there were indications that Malaysia had changed its approach to Israel in some areas relating to economics. During 1994, a small number of Israelis were allowed to enter Malaysia to attend international conferences on various topics. Specifically, in December that year Malaysia granted entry permits to eight Israelis who came to participate in a conference on fertilizers.
On 17 September 1994:
The picture was more complex regarding commercial relations. On 17 September 1994, Malaysian customs authorities impounded a shipment of 24,000 tons of fertilizer on the suspicion that it originated in Israel, from which imports were illegal. However, Malaysia began to suspect that there was a counterboycott on selling Malaysian products by Jewish businessmen in various countries.
On 24 October 1994:
Malaysia permitted Malaysian Muslims to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem but not to visit other places in Israel. The pilgrims could enter Israel only through Jordan and stay no longer than two weeks. In announcing this, the deputy foreign minister said there was no change in Malaysia's policy toward Israel despite its attempts to make peace with Arab countries and the PLO.
on 10 November 1994:
When this was made public, Christian groups in Malaysia asked for a similar arrangement. The foreign minister approved their request on 10 November.
1-5 January 1995:
Shortly thereafter, the president of Malaysia's travel-agent association met with the commerce and tourism attachés at the Israeli embassy in Singapore to work out details for Malaysian tourism to Jerusalem. During 1-5 January 1995, a delegation of Malaysian travel agents visited Israel. In that year, a Malaysian delegation took part in an economic conference in Casablanca in which Israel also participated, and in a continuation of the conference in Amman, and El Al and the Malaysian national airline signed an air-traffic agreement.
in late May 1995:
Furthermore, in late May 1995 a Malaysian television crew visited Israel. On 18 June, the program it filmed there was broadcast on Malaysian television. It included an interview with, among others, the then Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert. Israeli songs were heard in the background.
In mid-January 1996:
Malaysia's minister of international trade and industry announced that his ministry was exploring the possibility of gradually instituting commercial relations with Israel. He added, however, that such trade would have no political significance. "It will be like with Taiwan. We do not have diplomatic relations with her but there are numerous commercial relations."
in January 1996:
In a visit to New Delhi in January 1996, Israel's then finance minister Avraham Shochat said he looked forward to diplomatic relations with Malaysia and Indonesia in the near future. The director-general of Malaysia's Foreign Ministry responded by saying Malaysia was in no hurry to have diplomatic ties with Israel, repeating what Mahathir had said a few days earlier.
In mid-February 1996:
A Malaysian businessman visited Israel to discuss cooperation between Israeli and Malaysian companies.
In late March 1996:
A delegation of Malaysian businessmen came to Israel and held talks with heads of chambers of commerce. Although Malaysia's official boycott of Israeli products still stood, the head of the Malaysian delegation said he had been authorized by the minister of industry and trade.
In early May 1996:
the Israeli Port Authority sponsored an international conference, and a sixteen-member Malaysian delegation attended with government approval.
These developments, along with Malaysia's change of policy in granting entry permits to Israelis, created an expectation that Malaysia was about to open an economic interest office in Tel Aviv.
In June 1996:
the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry announced in parliament that his ministry was considering sending an official commercial mission to Israel. The Malaysian foreign minister added that future commercial relations with Israel depended on the efforts of the new Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, to achieve peace.
In October 1996:
The Malaysian bank Public Bank Bhd. established direct relations with Israel's Bank Hapoalim to enable commercial firms in both countries to make direct financial transactions. Malaysia's deputy finance minister announced that Israeli businessmen would be permitted to invest in Malaysia.
In light of these developments, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) in New York decided to urge Malaysian leaders to speed up establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. Several meetings were held with Malaysian representatives to the United Nations and with Malaysia's deputy prime minister, but these did not lead to any positive outcomes.
In 3-16 March 1997:
Malaysia took two small steps in the area of youth and sports. During 3-16 March, an Israeli youth delegation made up of fourteen high school students of both sexes visited Malaysia. It was said that Mahathir himself was behind the initiative. The students visited two schools and met with the education minister and other senior government officials. This visit did not arouse public interest.
Yet when an Israeli cricket team arrived a few days later to take part in an international tournament, demonstrations by Muslims and students erupted in which Israeli flags were burned. To achieve calm, the foreign minister quickly declared in parliament that Malaysia had no intention to establish diplomatic relations with Israel "until Tel Aviv honors its obligations according to the peace treaty it signed with the Palestinians."
Mahathir had made the same point at a press conference in New York late in September 1996. Moreover, in reaction to the violence that had erupted over Israel's opening of a tunnel at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, he accused the new Netanyahu government of trying to retreat from the agreements signed by the Rabin government. Mahathir said the opening of the tunnel was a provocation and an assault on the sanctity of the Al-Aksa Mosque. Speaking at the UN General Assembly at that time, Malaysia's foreign minister said Israel's attempt to make Jerusalem its capital was illegal, and that Malaysia supported the Palestinians' aspirations for self-determination in their own state.
In July 1997:
When Malaysia faced a severe economic crisis, Mahathir was convinced it was caused by the Jewish financier George Soros. It seems Soros's dealing in Malaysian currency harmed the country's economy, and the reports in Malaysian newspapers were full of anti-Semitic innuendos. Mahathir tried to explain this: "We are not anti-Semites. The Arabs are also Semites. Just as people make a connection between Islam, Muslims and terrorism, there are people in this country who are inclined to connect [dealing in foreign currency] with Jews. . . . I think that most Jews are innocent, but the impression is that the Jews have a lot of money. They know how to manipulate money. . . . "
In October 1997:
When the crisis worsened, Mahathir continued his anti-Semitic rhetoric. He referred in a speech to the "international Jewish conspiracy" and to his government's fears that the Jews planned to destroy Malaysia's and other Muslim countries' economies.
American Jewish organizations reacted. The JCRC sent a letter of protest on Mahathir's comments to Malaysia's UN representatives. Jewish leaders in New York met with Malaysian diplomats and with the Malaysian deputy prime minister and finance minister, Anwar Ibrahim, who was visiting the city. The Malaysians tried to explain that Mahathir was prone to outbursts and did not heed advice from anyone, but was not an anti-Semite. Anwar Ibrahim, however, said Mahathir sincerely believed in the "international Jewish plot." Shortly thereafter Mahathir fired Anwar Ibrahim, who was tried for corruption and sexual offenses and given a long sentence.
The Jewish leaders demanded that Malaysia establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. The Malaysian UN ambassador and Anwar Ibrahim explained that Malaysia supported Palestinian rights and censured the Netanyahu government. The time was not right to continue working to improve relations, and Malaysia was not ready for normalization.
Additional Jewish organizations condemned Mahathir as an anti-Semite, as did the U.S. State Department. The World Jewish Congress announced that it would file a complaint with the UN Council on Human Rights in Geneva. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning Mahathir for his anti-Semitic remarks.
Mahathir, however, rejected all criticism and did not apologize. The only step taken was an official Malaysian letter, not from Mahathir himself, to the UN Council on Human Rights claiming that Mahathir was incorrectly quoted in the media and "never intended to insult Jews or cause them distress." Whereas the World Jewish Congress praised the letter and considered the incident closed, Israel did not see it as an adequate apology.
In February 2000:
Two Israeli teams, male and female, participated in a ping pong tournament in Malaysia. The opposition Muslim political party warned the government of "undesirable consequences" and claimed Israel was an "illegal country." The minister of sport responded that Malaysia could not discriminate against any country if it wished to hold international sport competitions and especially if it wanted to host the Asia Games in 2006. He affirmed that Malaysia's view of Israel as oppressor of the Palestinians remained in force.
On 21 June 2003:
officials of Mahathir's political party distributed copies of Henry Ford's anti-Semitic book The International Jew to delegates at their annual assembly, where Mahathir delivered a speech.
On 16 October 2003:
At a meeting of the OIC in Kuala Lumpur, two weeks before stepping down as prime minister, Mahathir delivered an anti-Semitic diatribe, saying among other things that "the Jews rule the world." Although many countries outside the OIC objected, he did not retract. The Egyptian foreign minister and other Muslim figures praised his remarks and supported him.
Nevertheless, during these years the signs of a thaw continued. In 1998 a Malaysian, for the first time since 1965, took a course on community development in Israel.
in October 2003:
Since succeeding Mahathir as prime minister in October 2003, Dato Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi has reiterated Malaysia's total support for the Palestinians and severely criticized Israel, though in a style less crude than Mahathir's. He accused Israel of state terrorism and of inflicting evils on the Palestinians that were starting to resemble the atrocities undergone by the Jews themselves.
on 14 September 2005:
He said in a speech on 14 September 2005, "We must maintain a distinction between acts of terrorism and the right of people fighting for self-determination," implying that Palestinian terrorism was justified. He criticized suicide bombings as inexpedient but not as immoral.
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