US Turns Up the Heat on Malaysia, Threatening Security and Economic Ties

Relations between the United States (US) and Malaysia are heating up after members of Congress urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review security and economic ties with Kuala Lumpur. The pressure follows a statement by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who pledged to deport Israeli citizens if found within Malaysian territory. In an official letter addressed to Rubio, the members of Congress described Anwar’s policy towards Israeli citizens as a discriminatory act inconsistent with the close relationship between the US and Israel. “We urge you to review the security and economic relationship with Malaysia to ensure it continues to serve the best interests of the United States,” the letter stated. The legislators also requested that the US State Department use all available diplomatic instruments to make the Malaysian government understand that such a policy will carry consequences. They even proposed suspending funding for the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme for Malaysia if the Anwar government does not rescind the policy within 15 days. IMET is a US military assistance programme that funds the training of partner nation military personnel in the US. The letter emerged after Anwar Ibrahim stated that the Malaysian government would track down and immediately deport any Israeli citizens found in Malaysia. The statement was linked to a government investigation into the Network School project, a technology community in the Forest City area of Johor. Malaysian authorities are investigating allegations that Israeli citizens entered the country using passports from third nations. Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and generally does not permit Israeli passport holders to enter without special permission. “If we find Israeli citizens, they will be deported immediately because we do not recognise Israel,” Anwar said in response to the alleged presence of Israelis in the Johor tech community. The US Congress members also highlighted Malaysia’s relationship with Hamas. They accused Malaysia of maintaining open ties with Hamas and cited various reports alleging that the group has conducted training activities on Malaysian soil. “They welcome terrorists, while at the same time targeting Jewish people,” the legislators wrote. Beyond requesting an evaluation of bilateral relations, they asked the State Department to outline concrete steps in response to Anwar’s statement. They argued that the security assistance, technology access, and economic relations provided by the US to Malaysia should come with the expectation that Kuala Lumpur will not adopt policies perceived to target citizens of one of Washington’s closest allies. There has been no official response from the US State Department or the Malaysian government regarding the letter.