An Assassination in Malaysia Points to Implications with Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Malaysia, for its neutral stance towards rogue actors as long as they were not targeting the nation itself, has become a refuge for undercover Hamas researchers. The assassination of a Palestinian scientist puts Malaysia in the middle of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

On Saturday, Fadi al-Batsh, a lecturer of electrical engineering in Malaysia after he moved from Gaza, was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle. During the incident, at least 14 bullets were shot.

Under the disguise of a lecturer, Fadi al-Batsh was undercover as a technology expert for the Gaza-based Hamas movement. This previously unknown job of the Palestinian man provided an explanation for this murder, and officials suspect that the attackers were “most likely born in the Middle East or in the West”. Mr. Batsh’s family has pointed towards Mossad, the Israeli spy agency, for committing the murder of him.

This accusation is corroborated by Middle Eastern intelligence officials as well, as they explained that this murder was just one piece of the larger operation taking place right now under the lead of Yossi Cohen, the Mossad chief. This operation aims towards weakening Hamas forces overseas, including scientists and engineers like Mr. Batsh himself.

This incident put Malaysia, a country rather uninvolved in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, into the spotlight and forefront of this battle between Israel and Hamas. Mr. Batsh moved to Malaysia in 2013 to conduct research on weapon systems and drones for the Hamas undercover.

On the day of the incident, Mr. Batsh was scheduled to travel to Istanbul for an academic conference. Middle Eastern and Western intelligence officials have suspected that he might be somewhat involved in negotiations with the North Korean arms deal. However, these speculations were turned down by Malaysian officers, who denied the suggestion that Mr. Batsh was a part of the research of the weapons systems.

On the other hand, Israel has not addressed the accusations about its responsibility in Mr. Batsh’s death. On the contrary, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman pointed towards internal rivalries and tension within the Palestinian leadership as the cause behind this murder.

This is not the first incident of assassination in Malaysia. Just last February, Kim Jong-nam, who was the half-brother of Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea, was murdered at Kuala Lumpur International Airports by two women from Indonesia and Vietnam.

Experts suspect that it’s not a coincidence that these incidents have taken place in the Malaysian capital. According to Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, Malaysia “has been a permissive environment for many rogue actors, as long as their focus was not directed within Malaysia.”

While Malaysia is not heavily involved in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, it has historically leaned towards the Palestinians as the Prime Minister Najib Razak visited Gaza in 2013 to converse with the Hamas. Therefore, many scientists and engineers of Hamas have been sent towards Malaysia to conduct undercover research safely.

Moreover, The United Malays National Organization, short for UMNO, the party in control of the government since Malaysia’s independence, shares a close relationship with the Hamas as it invites Hamas representative to the annual UMNO’s party conference every year.

The presence of Hamas broad is becoming increasingly apparent and many of them have been targeted in the past. In 2011, a Palestinian electrical engineer was abducted in Ukraine and sent to Israeli jail, later sentenced for helping the Hamas cause. In 2016, a Hamas military commander in the Tunisian city of Sfax was shot dead. All of the victims were suspected or accused of being involved in the missile missions of Hamas abroad.

Featured Image via Wikimedia