The Maldives has announced that it will ban Israeli citizens from entering the country, as a reaction to the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The presidential office of the Indian Ocean island nation, known for its luxury resorts and endless white sand beaches, made the announcement in a press release yesterday.
The president, Mohamed Muizzu, decided to impose the ban on the recommendation of the council of ministers, in the wake of the anger of the Maldivian population, a Muslim majority, at Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The country’s laws will be changed and a special committee of ministers will be established to speed up the process, the president’s office said, without indicating when and how the ban would take effect.
Following news of the ban, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that Israelis avoid traveling to the island and “for Israeli citizens who remain in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, as if for any If they are in difficulty, it will be difficult for us to help.”
The president announced that he will appoint a special envoy to assess the needs of the Palestinians and is organizing a fundraiser to “assist our brothers and sisters in Palestine” with UNRWA, the statement said. Muizzu will also lead a national demonstration under the slogan “Falastheenaa Eku Dhivehin”, which translates to “Maldivians in solidarity with Palestine”.
The news comes just days after the president condemned the Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in Rafah, which killed at least 45 Palestinians and injured more than 200. “Together with the government and people of the Maldives, I call for a ceasefire immediate end to violence and free humanitarian access,” the president wrote in X last week.
