Published Aug 08, 2026 | 6:22 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 08, 2026 | 7:07 PM
Malaysia border police said the container was stopped at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Johor in the south of the Malay Peninsula.
Synopsis: Any attempt to export goods directly or indirectly to Israel in contravention of the law and government policy will be met with firm enforcement action, Malaysia border police said.
The detention of a shipping container suspected to be carrying military goods intended for export to Israel has been welcomed by The Hague Group.
“Any attempt to export goods directly or indirectly to Israel in contravention of the law and government policy will be met with firm enforcement action,” the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency said after halting the container at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Johor, on Friday, 7 August.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that the action demonstrated his country’s “firm resolve to ensure that the country never serves as a conduit for trade that could support or contribute to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against the Palestinian people.”
He added that the action aligns “with Malaysia’s commitments under The Hague Group, as well as the ban—in effect since December 2023—prohibiting Israeli vessels and ships carrying cargo to Israel from using the country’s ports. Malaysia will continue to steadfastly uphold the principles of humanity, justice, and international law in defending the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people.”
Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Executive Secretary of The Hague Group, noted that “the defence of humanity is won at ports, courts, and factories, not from the podium. Law that goes unenforced is no law at all. By halting this cargo, Malaysia has upheld the obligations that bind every UN member state under international law. We invite all states to join The Hague Group and do the same.”
The Hague Group was founded in January 2025 as a forum for coordinated state action in defence of international law.
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(This article is based on a press release issued by The Hague Group.)
