Maldives Bans Entry To Israeli Passport Holders:
Because of rising tensions and popular displeasure over recent events in Gaza, the Maldives has banned visitors with Israeli passports.
- Under pressure from the people and the government, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu made the choice his Cabinet told him to.
- The ban is in line with replies around the world and has caused reactions around the world.
- The Incident Prompting the Ban: President Muizzu criticized the Israeli airstrike that killed 45 people in a tent camp in Rafah that had been marked as a “safe zone.” A lot of people in the Maldives were angry about this attack.
- Following the Rafah incident, President Muizzu announced a ban on Israeli passport holders, alongside initiating a national fundraising campaign for Palestinians and organizing a solidarity rally named “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine”.
- The Maldivian Cabinet’s job is to change the laws to make the ban official and set up a panel to monitor the process. President Muizzu said that these steps show that the government agrees with calls for following international law.
- After the ban, the Israeli Foreign Ministry told its people not to go to the Maldives and told those already there to think about leaving because there isn’t much help available right now.
- This advisory talks about what the Maldives’ choice means for world politics.
- Maldives had lifted a similar ban on Israeli tourists in the early 1990s, and in 2010, steps were taken to restore formal ties.
- There were problems with these attempts after President Mohamed Nasheed was removed from office in 2012.
