Unexpectedly, the first spark that ignited sanctions against Israel was actually an Asian country.
According to the Global Times, citing foreign media sources, on December 20, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that starting today, all Israeli flag merchant ships are not allowed to berth in Malaysian ports, and at the same time, no ships destined for Israel are allowed to load and unload goods in Malaysia. Malaysia said it was a response to Israel's "continued atrocities against Palestinians in violation of basic humanitarian principles and in violation of international law."
Data map: Anwar Ibrahim).
The Malaysian side also made special mention of Israel's largest shipping company, Israeli ZIM. They revealed that in 2002, Malaysia had granted ZIM's request to allow them to dock at Malaysian ports, however, now, this approval has been officially revoked, and ZIM's ships will be banned from berthing at any port in Malaysia.
The statement concluded by stressing that the ban is "permanent". At the moment, there has been no response from the Israeli side to this.
ZIM's container ship).
Malaysia's action means that they have become the first country to impose substantive sanctions on Israel after the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Therefore, as soon as this decision to dare to catch up with the West was announced, it immediately aroused widespread attention.
In fact, relations between Malaysia and Israel have not been very good. Currently, there are about 30 countries around the world that do not recognize Israel, and Malaysia is one of them. Even the Malaysian passport is clearly printed in Malay and English with the words "This passport is valid for all countries, except Israel", which is a straightforward expression of how bad the relationship between the two sides is.
On the one hand, this situation stems from the fact that Malaysia, as a Muslim country, is more pro-Palestinian in its beliefsOn the other hand, although Malaysia once maintained friendly relations with Israel, in the military confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia that began in 1963, Malaysia lost the support of many Arab countries because of its friendly relations with Israel. Israel did not give more support at that time, which eventually forced Malaysia to stand firmly on the side of "anti-Israel".
To make matters worse, Israel's actions in Gaza have provoked global outrage. Cruelty to children and women has outraged the world, and it is no wonder that Malaysia is taking action.
In the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Malaysia has made clear its strong support for Palestine and condemns Israel. Not only did the Ministry of Education encourage schools to organize "Palestine Solidarity Week" and issue a document encouraging students to support Palestine.
In addition, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathia Mohamad stressed that although he was threatened by some Western countries for openly supporting "pro-Pakistan and anti-Israel", he said that he would never give in. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim even urged Biden to take a consistent stance with Malaysia at the APEC summit in San Francisco, urging Biden to stop Israel's indiscriminate killings in the Gaza Strip. This has made Malaysia a staunch "anti-Israeli" vanguard in the Muslim world.
And this ban on shipping will obviously make the situation even more dire for Israel. In particular, while the Houthis have effectively blockaded the Red Sea, Malaysia, as a coastal state in the Strait of Malacca, has once again closed its door to Israel. This will undoubtedly be a serious blow to Israel's maritime industry, to the outside world**, and to the country's economy as a whole.
The Strait of Malacca is a major route for global shipping, and for Israel, a country that is highly dependent on maritime transportation, such restrictions and blockades may have a serious impact on its energy and other aspects. According to a recent report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, traffic activities at various Israeli ports have almost completely halted in the past two weeks, and there has been no cargo entering or leaving the port of Eilat. This will directly lead to economic losses to Israel, which could be as high as nearly $10 billion.
Such a ban may simply push Israel to the brink of isolation, and the trend could spread. Will other countries, especially Muslim countries, follow Malaysia's lead and impose various blockades on Israel?What kind of strategy should Israel and the United States adopt in the face of such a situation?While we cannot yet determine the answers to these questions, it is certain that Israel's situation is likely to become increasingly difficult.