Maldives bans entry of Israelis

Last Updated on June 3, 2024 8:48 am

The Maldives government has announced a ban on Israelis entering the besieged Gaza Strip. If the ban goes into effect, no Israelis will be able to enter this small Muslim-majority country in the Indian Ocean. Al-Jazeera news

A spokesperson for the Maldivian President’s Office said in a statement that President Mohamed Muijju has decided to impose a ban on Israeli passport holders. However, he did not say much about when and from when this new law will be effective. Apart from this, Muijju also announced the launch of a national fundraising campaign called ‘Maldives beside Palestine’.

Millions of tourists from different countries of the world visit Maldives every year due to its beautiful beaches and luxury resorts. Last year, 11,000 Israelis visited the Maldives, which is 0.6 percent of the country’s total tourists.

However, according to Maldivian government data, the number of Israelis visiting the Maldives fell to 528 in the first four months of this year. This number is 88 percent less than the same period last year.

Maldivian anger against Israel over the Gaza war that began last October continues to grow. Apart from this, the opposition party and allies of the coalition government have been pressuring President Muijzu to impose a ban on the entry of Israelis into the country.

It should be noted that Israel started the military invasion of Gaza on October 7. Even though the war has been going on for eight months, there is still no sign of this war stopping. Already, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks. Most of them are women and children. Apart from this, more than 80 thousand people were injured in the war.