Malaysia threatened to expel any Israeli citizens found at a major startup community, even after immigration checks found all 266 foreigners inspected had valid papers, according to a report. The Network School's founder has frozen a planned RM500 million ($117 million) expansion and warned the capital could be moved elsewhere, turning the anti-Israel investigation into a test of Malaysia's tech ambitions.
Malaysia has threatened to expel any Israeli citizens discovered at a major startup community, the Network School, even after immigration officials inspected 266 foreigners and found all held valid papers, according to a report. The Network School's founder responded by freezing a planned RM500 million ($117 million) expansion and warned that the capital could be moved elsewhere, putting a spotlight on Malaysia's global technology ambitions.
The move comes amid an ongoing investigation into allegations that Israeli citizens joined the fledgling international tech community in the Muslim-majority nation. The Zioneer previously reported that Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim vowed to deport any Israeli found in the country. The current development marks a concrete escalation, as the threat of deportation and the frozen expansion test Malaysia's dual aspirations of maintaining anti-Israel policies while attracting foreign tech investment.
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