Saying the diplomats had clearly entered Malaysia with the knowledge of the relevant minister and approval from the highest level, the youth wing asked if it was now normal for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government to give special treatment to terrorist groups.
“The participation of Israel in the 9th World Urban Forum (WUF) is an insult and betrayal by the government of the Palestinians who are forced to live under Israel’s illegal settlement policies.
“Every day, the homes of Palestinians are deprived of electricity and water, hospitals and schools are destroyed by Zionist military forces, families are evicted and their rights are taken from them.
“New illegal settlements are also built as a strategy for ethnic cleansing,” Selangor PPBM Youth chief Adhif Syan Abdullah said in a statement.
According to The Times of Israel, the team was led by former deputy ambassador to the UN, David Roet, who entered Malaysia with an Israeli diplomat passport and met with Malaysian officials during the forum.
Roet had taken to Twitter to express his hopes for good relations between Malaysia and Israel, adding that he was “proud to have led Israel’s official delegation”.
He also said he found “many similarities” between the two countries, and praised what he called “a multifaceted society of people from different backgrounds working together for a better future”.
Malaysia was required to grant visas to all delegations in order to hold the conference.
However, Adhif said by allowing the delegation to enter Malaysia, the Umno-led government had shown its hypocrisy.
“Before this, Umno had held gatherings, supposedly to show solidarity with Palestine, like the rally at the Putra Mosque last December.
“It’s clear that Umno has failed to champion this cause and is more interested in using it as a political model to fish for votes.”
He called for an explanation from the relevant minister, and an apology to both Malaysians and Palestinians.
Regardless of the terms and conditions imposed for any event organised by the UN Human Settlements Program, he added, representatives from Israel should not be given any recognition as Israel itself had failed to recognise or respect the rights of Palestinians for over 60 years.
In break from past, Israeli diplomats attend conference in KL