Malaysia: Israel has no right to speak of moral values when it does opposite

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 (KUNA) -- Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said Friday that Israel has no right to speak of moral values in response to criticism by Israeli Foreign Ministry's spokesman against Malaysia's anti-Israel policy.
"I am very disgusted by the Israeli statement that accused Malaysia of violating the Olympic sports spirit and naming our Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as anti-Semitic," Abdullah said in a statement.
He added that for more than half a century, Israel had ignored the rights of the Palestinian people and had committed inhumane policies and practices that were in clear violation of international law, "so it has no right to speak of moral values." He reiterated that Malaysia has always been and will be a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause as a humanitarian and religious issue, adding that his country has long committed itself to restoring the rights and freedom of the Palestinians.
Malaysia had refused to grant Israeli athletes a visa to participate in the Paralympic 2019 World Swimming Championships in Sarawak, eastern Malaysia, due between July 29 to August 4, and also decided not to host any international event involving Israel. (end) aab.tg