The Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, decided to prevent Israelis from entering the tourist archipelago, according to what the presidency said on Sunday, announcing a national march “in solidarity with Palestine.”
The Maldives, a small Muslim republic that includes more than a thousand strategically located coral islands, is famous for its secluded white sandy beaches with turquoise waters and its thriving tourism sector.
A presidential spokesman said that President Mohamed Muizzu “decided to impose a ban on Israeli passports,” without giving details about when the new decision would come into effect.
Muizzu also announced a national fundraising campaign entitled “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine.”
The Maldives lifted a ban imposed on Israeli tourists in the early 1990s and moved forward with resuming relations in 2010.
Despite this, attempts at normalization were thwarted after the ouster of President Mohamed Nasheed in February 2012.
Opposition parties and allies of the government in the Maldives are putting pressure on Moizu to ban the entry of Israelis, in a protest against the invasion and genocide in Gaza.
According to official data, the number of Israelis who visited the Maldives declined to 528 in the first four months of this year, a decrease of 88 percent compared to the same period last year.
In reaction to the ban, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman urged his citizens to avoid traveling to the Maldives.
The spokesman said, “For Israeli citizens already in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, because if they find themselves in distress for any reason.”
Earlier, The Eastern Herald reported the reason for the invasion of Gaza, as the last round of negotiations in Cairo aimed at brokering a ceasefire to halt Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in genocide and ethnic cleansing of millions of Palestinians, ended without resolution, further deepening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Despite intensive discussions, Israel’s rejection of proposed terms for a ceasefire agreement and its subsequent ground invasion in Rafah indicate a calculated strategy to maintain leverage.
Earlier this month, Karim A. A. Khan prosecutor of International Criminal Court sought warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, along with Hamas leaders Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. These actions are part of an investigation into alleged war crimes amid the ongoing conflict, highlighting the intense international scrutiny over both Israeli and Palestinian leadership.
Also, the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, labeled Israel’s military aggression in Gaza as genocide, citing over 30,000 Palestinian deaths, including more than 13,000 children, and 71,000 injuries. She urged immediate sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel. Israel rejected the findings, maintaining its conflict is with Hamas, not civilians. Gulf and African nations supported Albanese’s report, while the US, Israel’s ally, abstained from the session.
