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Rabat – The Maldives government has announced a ban on Israeli passport holders in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing war.
President Mohamed Muizzu has made this decision in response to rising public anger in the country over the crisis in Gaza. The president’s office confirmed the ban on Sunday, saying it came following a recommendation from the cabinet, but did not specify when it would come into effect.
“The Cabinet decision includes amending necessary laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the Maldives and establishing a Cabinet subcommittee to oversee these efforts,” the president office said in a press release.
It stated that Muizzu decided to appoint a convoy to “assess Palestinian needs.”
The president also launched a national fundraising campaign to assist Palestinians in collaboration with the UNRWA, and decided to conduct a nationwide rally titled “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine.”
The number of Israeli tourists coming to the Maldives has already seen a significant drop, with only 528 visiting in the first four months of this year compared to nearly 11,000 last year.
Opposition parties and government allies have pressured Muizzu to take a firm stand against Israel due to the ongoing war on Gaza, which has resulted in over 36,000 Palestinian deaths and more than 82,000 injuries since October 7.
Israel’s foreign ministry has advised its citizens currently in the Maldives to consider leaving as he warned of potential difficulties in providing assistance if needed, Al Jazeera reported.
With this newly introduced ban, the Maldives joins a list of countries, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen, that do not permit entry to Israeli passport holders.
The Maldives had previously banned Israeli tourists but lifted the restriction in the early 1990s, and attempts to normalize relations in 2010 were abandoned after the ousting of President Mohamed Nasheed in 2012.
