Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced a hardline policy that any Israeli nationals discovered within the country’s borders will face immediate deportation, a stance rooted in the nation’s decades-long non-recognition of the state of Israel. The prime minister’s remarks came in response to unfolding allegations that Israeli citizens have secretly joined a high-profile tech-focused digital nomad community in the southern Malaysian state of Johor, triggering an official multi-agency investigation into the project. The initiative under scrutiny is Network School, a physical tech community venture founded by former Coinbase chief technology officer and American investor Balaji Srinivasan. Marketed on its official platform as a “frontier community of techno-optimists” focused on translating online digital networks into tangible startup-focused societies, the project is based in Forest City — a massive $100 billion reclaimed land development in Johor. The investigation was launched after social media users raised claims that a number of participants in Network School held Israeli citizenship, entered Malaysia under dual nationality by using passports from third countries, and thus violated the country’s immigration rules. In an official statement released Tuesday, Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed it had opened the probe into the community. Following the allegations, Israeli media outlet Ynet reported that Malaysian authorities had already started cross-checking the identities of all foreign nationals associated with the project. Onn Hafiz Ghazi, chief minister of Johor state, has directed the home ministry and other relevant enforcement bodies to conduct a full, comprehensive review of the venture’s operations. His instruction lays out clear terms for the probe: investigators must verify the identities and nationalities of all people linked to the project, examine their travel documentation and the alleged use of second passports, confirm the validity of their entry passes, cross-check their stated purpose for visiting against their actual activities in the state, and ensure all activity aligns with Malaysian law. “The state will not allow any parties to use Johor as a base to spread ideologies or movements that are against the law, sovereignty and interests of Johor and Malaysia,” Onn Hafiz Ghazi told local media. To date, Malaysian immigration officials have completed preliminary checks on 266 foreign nationals from 40 different countries connected to the Forest City community, and have confirmed that all of those screened hold valid immigration documentation. No Israeli nationals have been publicly identified as part of the ongoing investigation, and authorities have not released any updates on final findings. As a Muslim-majority Southeast Asian nation, Malaysia has never maintained formal diplomatic relations with Israel. The country’s longstanding policy bars holders of Israeli passports from entering the country without exceptional, special government approval, though it does not currently have formal legislation banning dual citizens of Israel and other nations from entering using their non-Israeli passports. Malaysia’s position on Israel has remained consistent since it gained independence from British colonial rule in 1957, and the country has long been one of the most outspoken supporters of Palestinian statehood and rights in the Southeast Asian region. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who has repeatedly and harshly criticized Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza as genocidal, reaffirmed the country’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause in his comments on this investigation. “If we find any Israeli, we will deport them immediately because we do not recognise Israel,” Anwar told local media. The prime minister added that if the investigation confirms the presence of Israeli nationals in Network School, immediate action will follow: “If it turns out that the claims are true, they will be deported immediately. All relevant authorities are already conducting an investigation into the matter.”