Eight members of the US Congress have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review the security and economic relationship between Washington and Malaysia.
They also proposed that US military training funding for Malaysia be suspended following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's statement that Israelis found in Malaysia would be deported.
In a letter dated July 21, a group of Democratic Congressmen led by Greg Landsman described Malaysia's stance of not recognizing Israel as something concerning.
They claimed that Anwar's statement against Israelis was not in line with Malaysia's relationship with the US.
The letter was also signed by seven other members of Congress, namely Josh Gottheimer, Jimmy Panetta, Dan Goldman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz, Brad Sherman and Jake Auchincloss.
They asked the US State Department to consider suspending funding for the International Military Education and Training (IMET) Program if the policy is not changed within 15 days.
In addition, they also claimed that Malaysia was once a training location for Hamas members based on a report by an Israeli research institute. The claim was used as an excuse to urge Washington to take stricter action against Putrajaya.
Anwar's statement was made following allegations that several Israeli citizens used passports from other countries to join Network School, a digital nomad community in Forest City, Johor.
Malaysia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, and Israeli passport holders are generally not allowed to enter the country without special permission.
In a related development, the Immigration Department previously announced that all 256 foreigners checked at Network School had valid travel documents. Meanwhile, the Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) has revoked Network School's business license with immediate effect on the grounds of failing to comply with licensing and use of premises conditions.
To date, the Prime Minister's Office, Wisma Putra and the Ministry of Defence have not issued an official statement regarding the US Congressman's insistence.
