Maldives Bans Entry of People With Israeli Passports
President Mohamed Muizzu. Photo: X/ @MoazzamTweet
June 2, 2024 Hour: 1:59 pm
President Muizzu has always stood by Palestine against the inhuman atrocities carried out by Israel, Interior Minister Ishan said.
On Sunday, the Government of Maldives banned Israeli passport holders from entering its country. This decision was taken to show the support of the people of Maldives for the Palestinians.
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“President Mohamed Muizzu has always stood by Palestine against the inhuman atrocities carried out by Israel,” Interior Minister Ali Ishan said, adding that the Cabinet of Ministers decided to propose legal changes to ban holders of Israeli passports from entering the Maldives.
The government’s announcement comes after the opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) proposed a similar measure.
Currently, Indians, Russians and Chinese are the largest visitors to this nation made up of more than a thousand islands and which lives mainly from tourism. Israeli citizens represented just 0.5 percent of the 1.8 million visitors recorded in 2023.
Although the Maldives broke diplomatic relations with Israel in 1974, both countries signed some agreements between 2012 and 2017. Since the start of the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip in 2023, the Maldives has repeatedly shown its solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
On Saturday, the World Health Organization (WHO) held its annual meeting and addressed the issue of the situation of the Palestinian people in Gaza. During the event, Maldives supported the incorporation of Palestine into that multilateral organization.
“Maldives was among the 101 countries that voted in favor of the resolution and enhanced the rights of Palestine at a sign of increased global support for the full statehood of Palestine,” said President Muizz, as reported by the Miadhu outlet.
“Our decision to support the resolution stems from the Maldivian people’s strong support for the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights for statehood and their full membership in international organizations. We believe that this is an essential step towards enduring peace,” he added.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: EFE – Miadhu
