A Malaysian parliamentary committee will hold a hearing on 16 July to examine a US$96 million deal signed earlier this year between an Australian company operating in Malaysia and the United States Department of Defence to supply rare earth elements, a senior Malaysian lawmaker said on Monday.
The hearing follows growing objections to the deal and allegations that the Australian company supplied materials used in the production of American weapons deployed by Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip.
Wong Chen, who chairs a parliamentary committee responsible for international relations and trade, said the hearing would examine the details of the agreement and determine whether it violated any Malaysian policies.
Wong told reporters that the committee would hear from representatives of Australian company Lynas Rare Earths, Malaysian government officials, environmental organisations and human rights activists.
The findings of the hearing will be presented as recommendations to help shape Malaysia’s policy on rare earth elements as the country seeks to attract investment and develop its domestic industry.
“What is the purpose of rare earth elements?” Wong said. “If they are intended for renewable energy, we will support them. But if they are intended for weapons, I believe we should reject that.”
Growing Protests Over the Supply Chain
Wong made the comments after receiving a memorandum from around 50 protesters, including activists from Greenpeace and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
The protesters gathered outside the Malaysian Parliament, demanding greater transparency and accountability over the rare earth supply chain.
Lynas, which operates one of the world’s largest rare earth processing plants in Malaysia, has faced protests over the four-year agreement. Some human rights groups have accused the company of supplying materials used in the manufacture of American weapons deployed by Israel in its war on Gaza.
The controversy has intensified amid Israel’s continued attacks on the Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire agreement reached in October last year.
As of Monday, Israeli attacks, targeted strikes and ceasefire violations since the agreement have killed 1,072 Palestinians and wounded another 3,463, according to data from Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 173,000 wounded.
The war has also caused widespread destruction across Gaza, damaging or destroying 90 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure.
