Maldives to ban Israeli passport holders from entry in protest over Gaza war
The ban comes amid growing anger at the Israeli government in the majority Muslim country.
The Maldives government will ban Israelis from the Indian Ocean archipelago, known for luxury resorts, as public anger in the predominantly Muslim nation rises over the war in Gaza.
The president's office said Sunday that the Cabinet decided to change laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the country and to establish a subcommittee to oversee the process.
It said President Mohamed Muizzu will appoint a special envoy to assess the Palestinian needs and to launch a fundraising campaign.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said in response that the Foreign Ministry recommends Israelis avoid any travel to the Maldives, including those with foreign passports, and those currently there to consider leaving.
Nearly 11,000 Israelis visited Maldives last year, which was 0.6 percent of the total tourist arrivals.
Muizzu had been facing pressure from opposition parties to impose a ban on Israeli travellers in a sign of protest for weeks.
The Maldives previously lifted a ban on tourists from Israel in the 1990s and started working on restoring relations in 2010.
Efforts to normalise relations between the two nations collapsed following the collapse of the government of President Mohamed Nasheed in 2012.
Israeli passport holders already faced travel bans in Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.
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The Israeli Foreign Ministry advised citizens currently in the Maldives to leave as they warned it would be difficult to help them in the event of any issues.
In a statement on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, the Ministry said: "If Israelis who are currently in the Maldives encounter trouble, it will be difficult for us to assist them."
Officials also warned against travelling to the Muslim-majority nation on a secondary foreign passport.
