Malaysians can be sensitive about some things, but nothing triggers them more than the topic of Israel and its treatment of the Palestinians.

A former Polish Olympic swimmer, Bart Kizierowski, has since found that out for himself.

Declined coaching position in Malaysia

On Jan. 24, Kizierowski put up a Facebook post declaring that he had declined a "very attractive" coaching position in Malaysia.

He did so on the grounds that sports should not be politicised.

This was largely due to Malaysian politicians making statements regarding Malaysia's ban on Israelis entering the country for any event, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported.

Here is a screenshot of his post:

Malaysian netizens react furiously

Kizierowski's post subsequently attracted massive backlash from Malaysians who bombarded it with angry comments that included pro-Palestine, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic comments.

Kizierowski has since set his Facebook account to private.

It is unclear if he took down the post.

What were the statements Malaysian politicians made?

Israelis banned in Malaysia for all events

On Jan. 10, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia would not allow Israeli athletes into the country.

This was despite Malaysia having been selected as the host venue for the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, the New Straits Times reported.

Mahathir also said if the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) wished to withdraw Malaysia's right to host the event, it could do so.

Subsequently, Malaysia hardened its position on Jan. 16, when Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said that all Israelis would be banned from participating in any event in the country, Reuters reported.

"Even if we have already committed to hosting an event, they will not be allowed (into the country)... Secondly, Malaysia will not host any event that has representation from or participation of Israel."

Saifuddin added that this was due to Malaysia's strong position on the Palestinian issue, which it saw "not simply from the religious point of view" but as "a humanitarian, human rights issue".

"It is about fighting on behalf of the oppressed."

Israel then slammed Malaysia in response on Jan. 17, accusing Mahathir of "rabid anti-Semitism".

Mahathir cites Trump's migrant wall

Mahathir reacted by citing US President Donald Trump's plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, adding that Malaysia had "the same idea, that people who are undesirable for our country will be kept out of our country", CNA reported.

Mahathir further accused Israel of being "a criminal country" and rejected accusations that he was anti-Semitic:

"It is my right to tell them they have been doing a lot of wrong things. Why can't we say anything against Israel, against the Jews?"

Malaysia loses the right to host

Subsequently, the IPC announced on Jan. 27 that it would strip Malaysia of the right to host the World Para Swimming Championships.

CNA reported the IPC President saying:

"When a host country excludes athletes from a particular nation, for political reasons, then we have absolutely no alternative but to look for a new Championships host."

This drew the following statement from Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman:

"If hosting an international sporting event is more important than standing up for our Palestinian brothers and sisters who get murdered, maimed and tortured by the Netanyahu regime, that means Malaysia has truly loss its moral compass."

CNA reported Mahathir replying:

“They want to cancel, let them cancel. I find that the world has to follow what Israel says. I don’t understand because the world has the power but still has to listen to Israel... but we won’t".

Top image collage from Bart Kizierowski Instagram and Aman Palestin Australia Facebook