“President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, following a recommendation from the Cabinet, has resolved to impose a ban on Israeli passports,” the president’s office said in a statement released in early June 2024.
With that, the Maldives moved to keep Israeli passport holders out of the country. Anadolu Agency and Salaam Gateway both tied the decision to Israel’s months-long offensive in Gaza.
What the government set in motion
The announcement was less a switch than a to-do list. The cabinet’s decision calls for amending the necessary laws so Israeli passport holders cannot enter, and for creating a cabinet subcommittee to oversee the effort.
Muizzu also plans to name a special envoy to assess what Palestinians need. A fundraising campaign is to follow, run with the help of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
The war behind it
Anadolu put the backdrop in figures. Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion, which killed some 1,200 people. More than 36,000 Palestinians have died there since the onslaught began nearly eight months ago, according to local health authorities, who say most of the dead are women and children and that over 82,000 others have been injured.
The agency described vast tracts of Gaza lying in ruins under an Israeli blockade of food, clean water and medicine. It also noted that Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to halt its operation in Rafah immediately. More than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge in that city.
Sources
- Maldives imposes entry ban on Israeli passport holders | Salaam Gateway – Global Islamic Economy Gateway
- Maldives to bar Israeli passport holders from entering country
