Israel-Hamas war: Malaysia bans Israeli-flagged cargo ships from its ports 

Malaysia on Wednesday (Dec 20) imposed a ban on Israeli-flagged cargo ships from docking at its ports in response to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim himself announced the decision, singling out ZIM, Israel’s largest shipping firm.

The PM added that the ships on their way to Israel will also be barred from loading cargo at the Malaysian ports.

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The decision has further raised concerns regarding the impact of the Israel-Hamas war on global shipping amidst increasing attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthi group.

Anwar Ibrahim’s statement

The Malaysian PM said that the action was being taken in response to what he said “Israel’s actions that ignore basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and brutality against Palestinians”.

Malaysia “also decided to no longer accept ships using the Israeli flag to dock in the country” and ban “any ship on its way to Israel from loading cargo in Malaysian ports”.

“Both of these restrictions are effective immediately,” the prime minister said.

Malaysia’s relations with Hamas and Israel

The Muslim-majority Southeast Asian nation doesn’t maintain a diplomatic relationship with Israel.

Malaysia has always advocated for the two-state solution and backed Hamas quite vocally.

Watch:Israel-Hamas war: CIA director meets Mossad chief, Qatar PM

So far, Malaysia has donated millions of dollars in aid to Gaza and condemned the Israeli response in the aftermath of the Oct 7 attack.

Disruption to global shipping

The move comes even as major disruptions to global shipping routes are already taking place, especially in the Red Sea where the Iran-backed Houthi group has launched several attacks on ships en route to Israel.

The Red Sea, which is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal, is responsible for 12 per cent of the global shipping transit.

To evade the Houthi attackers, ships passing through the Red Sea often switch off tracking systems, while some are trying to reroute and adjust prices.

The US earlier this week announced the formation of a multinational coalition to counter the Houthi menace in the Red Sea.

The coalition includes the United States, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

(With inputs from agencies)