Israel–Malaysia relations
Israel–Malaysia relations refers to the commercial and cultural ties between Israel and Malaysia. The two countries currently maintain no formal diplomatic relations (). While Malaysia officially maintains an outwardly hostile position towards Israel, commercial relations between the two countries do exist , albeit very limited. Malaysian passports bear the inscription: "This passport is valid for all countries except Israel". Israeli passport holders are forbidden to enter Malaysia without written permission from the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs. The recognition of Israel is a politically delicate issue for the Malaysian government. History Federation of Malaya The first political contact between Malaysia and Israel was made when the Israeli foreign minister Moshe Sharett visited Kuala Lumpur in 1956, the year prior to the independence of the Federation of Malaya. He described the reception of his proposal to appoint an Israeli consul in Kuala Lumpur as "favourable without hesitation" on the part of his official host, Tunku Abdul Rahman. On 26 August 1957, Israel prime minister David Ben-Gurion sent a congratulatory letter to Tunku telling him that Israel was ready to set up an "appropriate representation" in Kuala Lumpur. When Malaya's bid for membership in the United Nations came up in 1957, Israel