Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Malaysia
Malaysia: the vanished Jewish community of Penang, no diplomatic relations with "Israel", the 2023 ban on ZIM and Israeli shipping, the 2018 killing of Fadi al-Batsh and the 2022 Kuala Lumpur abduction attributed to Mossad, and Malaysian references in the Epstein files
Malaysia once had a small Jewish community in Penang, whose last member died in 2011.[1] It does not maintain diplomatic relations with "Israel",[2] and in December 2023 it banned the Israeli shipping company ZIM and Israeli-flagged ships from its ports.[3] Malaysian police have investigated several incidents attributed to Israeli intelligence, including the killing of the Palestinian lecturer Fadi al-Batsh in Kuala Lumpur in 2018.[4]
Jewish community and religious life
History and demography
Penang's Jews were mainly Sephardic, with Baghdad and Armenia often cited as their origins. The community ended with the death in 2011, aged 89, of David Mordecai, a former manager of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel.[1] The Penang Jewish Cemetery on Jalan Zainal Abidin, formerly Jahudi (Jewish) Road, in George Town, was established in 1805 and is believed to be the oldest single Jewish cemetery in Southeast Asia. It holds about 107 graves, the most recent dated 2011, and has been managed by a board of trustees since 1885.[5]
Chabad
- Main article: Chabad-Lubavitch movement
Israeli state and commercial ties
Diplomacy
Malaysia does not maintain diplomatic relations with "Israel" and supports a two-state solution.[2]
Shipping ban
On 20 December 2023 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced an indefinite ban on ships of the Israeli shipping company ZIM docking at Malaysian ports, and a ban on Israeli-flagged ships.[6] The Straits Times reported that ZIM ships had been allowed to dock in Malaysia since 2002, and quoted Anwar as saying that ships bound for "Israel" would also be barred from unloading cargo in Malaysian ports;[3] the Malay Mail reported that such ships would be barred from loading cargo.[6]
Trade
The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics reports that "Israel" imported goods worth $5.2 million from Malaysia in 2025 (2024: $6.0 million) and exported goods worth $16.5 million to it (2024: $22.8 million).[7]
Intelligence operations
On 21 April 2018 Fadi al-Batsh, a 35-year-old Palestinian lecturer and member of Hamas, was shot dead by two gunmen on a motorbike in Kuala Lumpur. His family accused Mossad, and Malaysian officials said the suspects were believed to have links to a foreign intelligence agency.[4] The Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman dismissed suggestions of Mossad involvement and said the killing was probably part of an internal Palestinian dispute.[8] In January 2022 Palestinian authorities in Gaza arrested a suspect who, according to the Hamas-run interior ministry, confessed that he had been recruited by Mossad; the Royal Malaysia Police applied for his extradition.[9]
On 28 September 2022 a group of Malaysians abducted a Palestinian computer programmer in Kuala Lumpur and took him to a chalet, where, according to the New Straits Times, he was interrogated by video call by two men believed to be Israelis, and beaten by his captors, until police raided the chalet. The paper reported that Mossad had recruited the Malaysians.[10] The Inspector-General of Police, Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, urged the public not to speculate on the case, which had gone to court.[11]
On 27 March 2024 police arrested an Israeli man at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur with six pistols and 200 bullets. He had entered Malaysia on a French passport and later produced an Israeli one. The Inspector-General, Razarudin Husain, said the man claimed he had come to kill another Israeli over a family dispute, and that police were investigating whether he was an Israeli intelligence agent.[12]
Political interference
UN voting
Malaysia voted in favour of the September 2025 General Assembly resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on a two-state solution.[13]
Jeffrey Epstein
Documents released by the US Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein files include the following.
- On 21 February 2012 a correspondent whose name is redacted asked Epstein: "Should we arrange a private meeting for Jes with Anwar Ibrahim? If he becomes prime minister of malaysia he will clean up and it could be a gold mine for JPM. I know Anwar well".[14]
- On 23 October 2015 Epstein asked Kathryn Ruemmler, "do we know what your firms case involves re malaysia?"; she replied asking whether the account holder's name was Jho Lo.[15]
- On 2 May 2016 Ariane de Rothschild wrote to Epstein that she was "taking a lot of heat for malaysia".[16]
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Indonesia
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to the Philippines
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Singapore
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Thailand
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Vietnam
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Brunei
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nightfall over Jalan Yahudi, Penang Discover Society, 5 August 2014, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Malaysia bans Israel-flagged ships from its ports in response to Gaza war Al Jazeera, 20 December 2023, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Malaysia imposes docking ban on Israeli ships, vessels heading to the country The Straits Times, 20 December 2023, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Palestinian lecturer and Hamas member killed in Malaysia BBC News, 21 April 2018, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Penang Jewish Cemetery, Penang Jewish Cemetery penangjewishcemetery.com, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 PM Anwar: Israel-based shipping company prohibited from docking at Malaysian ports Malay Mail, 20 December 2023, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel), Foreign Trade Statistics Monthly, Table D1: Trade Countries – Imports and Exports CBS, December 2025 issue (library copy).
- ↑ Fadi al-Batsh killing: Israel dismisses involvement BBC News, 22 April 2018, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ The murder of Fadi al-Batsh: What we know so far Malay Mail, 20 January 2022, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Mossad used locals to kidnap Palestinian New Straits Times, 17 October 2022, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ IGP: Don’t speculate on kidnapping of Palestinian national Malay Mail, 18 October 2022, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Israeli man with murderous intent carrying firearms arrested in Kuala Lumpur; police on high alert The Straits Times, 29 March 2024, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ United Nations General Assembly, Recorded vote on A/80/L.1/Rev.1: Endorsement of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, 12 September 2025 (copy hosted by Al-Quds Al-Arabi).
- ↑ Email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and a redacted correspondent, "Re: MLY", 21 February 2012, EFTA02018022, US Department of Justice, Epstein Files release, Data Set 10, copy at tommycarstensen.com/epstein, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and Kathy Ruemmler, 23 October 2015, EFTA02347625, US Department of Justice, Epstein Files release, Data Set 11, copy at tommycarstensen.com/epstein, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Email from Ariane de Rothschild to Jeffrey Epstein, 2 May 2016, EFTA02464731, US Department of Justice, Epstein Files release, Data Set 11, copy at tommycarstensen.com/epstein, accessed 25 October 2026.