KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — Israeli broadsheet Jerusalem Post said yesterday it hoped the recent visit of an Israeli diplomat to Malaysia will mark a new dawn in the relations between the two countries.

In an op-ed by its editorial team, the paper said Malaysia has long had "knee-jerk reactions” towards Israeli issues with "blind support” for Palestine.

"Will the visit be a one-time anomaly or the start of a new beginning in Israeli-Malaysia relations? For the sake of both countries we hope it is the latter,” the paper said.

The paper also claimed that Malaysia would benefit from commercial and technological ties with the Zionist regime.

Instead, it urged Malaysia to "ask itself” what it stands to gain by "blindly following” other "poverty-stricken” Arab countries in their policies against Israel.

This comes as David Roet became the first Israeli diplomat to visit Malaysia since 1965 when he attended the World Urban Forum (WUF9) held in Kuala Lumpur last week.

His visit however had caused discontent among several political parties and also NGOs in the country, including drawing protests from Opposition parties PAS, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Parti Amanah Negara.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman previously insisted that the diplomats did not attend based on Malaysia’s invitation, but rather an invitation from United Nations itself as the organiser for WUF9.

In its own statement, UN also stressed that all of its member states are allowed to participate in any of the forums it organises.