Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today said he hopes Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will adhere to the Jewish principle of not doing unto others what one does not wish to be done unto him.

"In my recent UN General Assembly speech, I quoted one of the highest ethical principles of Judaism, that which is hateful to you, don't do to your fellow human beings.

"When I quoted that, by chance, I spoke immediately after Netanyahu spoke. I hope he listened to that (quote)," said Najib in his inaugural address at the 'Religion and Peaceful Co-Existence: Accepting Differences and Upholding Values' seminar in Kuala Lumpur today.

Malaysia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and has condemned Israel's attack on the famed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

There has also been discontent over a photograph (above) circulating online showing a broadly smiling Najib shaking hands with Netanyahu.

Najib has explained that the picture was taken when he bumped into Netanyahu at at the UN headquarters in New York and that the handshake was an impromptu one.