Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican said no ministry official received the Israelis on their arrival and they were not provided any police escort, unlike the other delegations which were given special treatment.
“We left the (Israeli) delegation to the United Nations as it was invited by (the world body),” he said.
The conference, named 9th World Urban Forum (WUF9), was held from Feb 7 to 13.
Malaysia has never had diplomatic relations with the Jewish state and is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause to seek the return of land now occupied by Israel.
The presence of the Israeli delegation, led by Tel Aviv’s deputy permanent representative at the UN David Roet, caused a controversy and drew flak, including from the opposition.
Reezal was responding to a question from opposition leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who asked why the government did not request the UN to bar the Israeli delegation.
She said that asking the UN to leave out the Israelis would have affirmed the stand of the government and Malaysians against the continued illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
Reezal dismissed claims that Putrajaya was fostering ties with Israel on the quiet, adding that the status of Malaysia-Israel relations remained unchanged.
“The Israeli delegation was invited by the UN and had nothing to do with the Malaysian government. The question of fostering ties with Israel quietly does not arise.”