KUALA LUMPUR: The Palestinian government will not be intimidated by potential threats posed by Israeli operatives in Malaysia, said Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia Walid Abu Ali.
He said the Palestinian community here have placed their full trust in the ability of Malaysian security agencies to protect them.
"We trust Malaysia, we trust the Malaysian security agencies.
"We are not in fear, we are not threatened," Walid said in an exclusive interview with the New Straits Times.
Walid said their decades of struggles with the Israelis have also prepared them well.
"We, as Palestinians, have experienced more than seven decades of fighting. They (Zionists) have assassinated so many Palestinians around the globe, in Europe, Asia, Africa, everywhere.
"We know how to deal with them, and we are sure that we will win," he said.
Walid said while the Palestinians know how to defend themselves, they however respect the laws in Malaysia and they put their trust in the hands of the Malaysian authorities to keep their people safe.
Walid called on Palestinians in Malaysia to remain calm and not panic despite the recent arrest of a suspected Israeli spy, who was captured in KL last week with six guns and 200 rounds of ammunition on him.
"Palestinians are under threat by the Israelis all over the world, not just in Malaysia. However, my message to our community and Malaysians as well is not to panic and relax.
"We trust the Malaysian authorities, we trust the Malaysian government, we trust what the Malaysians are doing. We feel safe and we feel secure," he said.
Police had on March 26 arrested a suspected Israeli spy.
The 36-year-old man entered the country via a French passport through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
An inspection of his hotel room turned up six guns, including a Glock 19 Marine, a Glock 17 Gen 4, a Smith and Wesson, a Sig Sauer, and a Stoeger as well as ammunition.
The man claimed he came to kill another Israeli because of a family dispute.
Meanwhile, Walid said the embassy had no information on the Israeli suspect, and had no indication of his identity or motives.
"If we do, we will share it immediately with the Malaysian authorities.
"We have never hesitated to cooperate and coordinate with the Malaysian authorities when needed," he said.
Asked if the Palestinian embassy has a database or is monitoring Israeli operatives coming in and out of the country, Walid said it is impossible to do so.
"You can have an Israeli with any other passport (not using an Israeli passport).
"And since Malaysia is open for tourism, they can come and benefit from coming to Malaysia without a visa, or they can get a visa at the airport," he said.
Walid did not rule out the possibility that more Israelis would come to Malaysia using foreign passports.
"I have no information that there are any Israelis in Malaysia, but since they can use a second passport or nationality, they can be anywhere, and I know they travel a lot.
"Malaysia is a well-liked destination for tourism, so they could use any secondary passport and come to Malaysia," he said.
He said there are about 3,000 to 4,000 Palestinians in Malaysia with various backgrounds - students, refugees, and small business owners.
Asked whether there are any Palestinians here who are linked to their political administration, Walid said their political affiliation did not matter as all Palestinians fight for the same reason, which is to be free from Israeli occupation.