mo4ch:>‘Fighting on behalf of the oppressed’: Malaysia bans Israeli athletes in solidarity with Palestine | Mo4ch News

The Malaysian government has banned Israeli participants from a Paralympic swimming competition scheduled for July, stating that the country will not host any events in future involving Israel in solidarity with Palestine.Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said on Wednesday that no Israeli competitor will be allowed to participate in the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, a tournament which serves as a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.READ MORE: ‘Blatantly politicized’: Australia beat Palestine in Asia Cup match protested by Jewish groupThe minister also emphasized that the country will never host any event involving Israel, as an expression of strong support for Palestinians, who the predominantly Muslim Malaysia considers to be oppressed.“The cabinet has also decided that Malaysia will not host any more events involving Israel or its representatives. This is to me, a decision to reflect the government’s firm stance over the Israeli issue,” Saifuddin sa…