“This Passport is Valid For All Countries Except Israel”

This story is actually from the beginning of the year, but just came to my attention now.

From World of Buzz:

Malaysia Has The 5th Most Powerful Passport In The World!

Last year, the Malaysian passport ranked eighth place according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). But now Arton Capital, a financial advising firm has come out with another index which puts the Malaysian passport in the fifth place in a list of the most ‘powerful’ passports in the world.

I really do not care about the news itself; check out the photo accompanying the story.

Yes, this is really a thing.

I am guessing the author of the piece Pui Fun is Malaysian, judging by her name and the excited nature of the title. She seems indifferent to her country’s casual bigotry against Israel.

Incidentally, the World Economic Forum Passport Index ranks passports by measuring the number of countries that can be visited without applying for a visa. You can see Israel’s ranking and via requirements per country here. Note that there is no distinction noted between countries that ban Israelis and those that have general visa requirements – both cases are represented as “visa required.”

Update: Yet there is much trade between Israel and Malaysia

In 2008, Israeli exports to Malaysia came to $30.2 million while Israel imported goods worth $100.6 million. In 2009, Israel exported $116.8 million-worth of goods to Malaysia and imported goods worth $68.5 million. In 2010, Israel’s exports to Malaysia grew to $798 million and imports grew to $85 million. 2011 saw Israel export goods to Malaysia worth $716.4 million and import goods worth $93.6 million. A report compiled by the European Commission indicated that in 2010 Malaysia ranked 15th among Israel’s major trade partners, accounting for 0.8% (€667.6 million) of Israel’s trade in that year.