IN late September, a group of men tried to abduct two Palestinians who were visiting Kuala Lumpur.
Fortunately, one escaped and reported the incident to the police, who acted quickly to rescue the abducted man from a chalet in Hulu Langat.
The 'New Straits Times' later reported that the group of men were locals whom Mossad, the Israel spy agency, had allegedly recruited to obtain information from the Palestinians.
The NST also reported that they were in the middle of interrogating and torturing him when policemen broke into the chalet and arrested them.
This incident raises important points. Firstly, Mossad is getting increasingly desperate and willing to jeopardise Israel's image internationally. Even though Israel is trying its hardest to establish diplomatic relationships with Muslim countries, its desperation has made it engage in criminal activities here.
If the police had failed to rescue the Palestinian, there was a real possibility that his abductors would have killed him. That was the fate of Dr Fadi AlBatsh, the Palestinian academic and imam whom Mossad agents assassinated in April 2018.
A point to note is that just like Dr Fadi, an engineering expert, the two Palestinians were technically knowledgeable.
Israel seems to consider such Palestinians a threat to its security.
We can assume that Mossad will continue to hire Malaysian citizens to commit murders, abductions, torture and other heinous crimes here to weaken the Palestinian resistance.
In that regard, we must increase efforts to educate Malaysians on the crimes committed in Palestine by the Israel apartheid regime. Awareness of the gross injustice in Palestine will make it more difficult for Mossad to hire locals.
The Malaysian government should also treat the presence of Mossad in this country very seriously. It is a real threat to security.
Its willingness to murder and kidnap in this country reflects recklessness and utter disregard for the sovereignty of other countries. It's state-sponsored terrorism.
Lastly, NGOs and individuals working in the cause of justice, freedom and equality in Palestine must not be intimidated by the knowledge that Mossad is operating in this country.
Any reduction in activism due to this knowledge helps the Zionist regime to isolate the Palestinians from international support.
The writer is honorary professor and director of Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies, Universiti Malaya and chairman, BDS Malaysia