Mahathir Mohammad: Israel is a criminal state and deserves to be condemned

SANAA, Jan. 30 (YPA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad has described the Israeli occupation as a “criminal state” after the decision to deprive his country of hosting a swimming championship for refusing to receive “Israeli swimmers.”

The International Olympic Committee for people with special needs, on Sunday, decided to deny Malaysia the hosting of the 2019 World Swimming Championships, as it did not provide guarantees for the participation of “Israeli athletes” in the tournament.

“We reserve the right to prevent the Israelis from entering our country,” Mohammed said in a statement issued by his office.

He added”: When the world condemns us for this reason, we have the right to say that the world is a hypocrite, and talking about human rights and the rule of law is nonsense. ”

“Israel is a criminal state and deserves to be condemned. We know the strong support of Israel, and we cannot work against it beyond its refusal to recognize it, “he said.

“If Malaysia bans the entry of Israeli athletes, the United States bans the entry of five Islamic countries and plans to build a wall separating it from South America,” Malaysian Prime Minister concluded.

On Jan. 16, Malaysia announced that it would not host any future events involving “Israel” or its representatives, considering the hosting of Israeli athletes as a “crime”.

E.M