

Maldives bans entry of Israelis
The Maldives has banned Israelis from entering the country
in protest of the war in Gaza and in "strong solidarity" with the
Palestinian people. A law was approved by parliament on Tuesday. It was signed
by the country's President Mohamed Morsi. Under the law, no person holding an
Israeli passport will be able to enter the Maldives.
Morsi's cabinet initially decided to ban all Israeli
passport holders from entering the country until the attacks on Palestine stop
in June 2024, but progress on the law has been stalled.
In May 2024, a bill was introduced in the Maldivian
parliament by Mikail Ahmed Nasim, a lawmaker from the Maldivian Democratic
Party (the main opposition party), who sought to amend the country's
immigration law. The cabinet then decided to change the country's law to ban
holders of Israeli passports, including dual citizenship. After several
amendments, the bill passed this week after more than 300 days. “This approval
reflects the government’s firm stance against Israel’s continued atrocities and
genocide against the Palestinian people,” Muizz’s office said in a statement.
The Gaza Health Ministry said on Sunday that at least 1,613
Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18,
bringing the total death toll since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October 2023
to 50,983. The statement added that “the Maldives reiterates its strong
solidarity with the Palestinians.”
The Maldives is an Islamic republic made up of 1,129
islands. The country is known as one of the world’s leading beach holiday
destinations.
This is not the first time that the Maldives has imposed a
travel ban on Israelis. The Maldives has previously imposed a travel ban on
Israeli tourists. The ban was later lifted in the early 1990s.
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