The Maldives has shut its doors to Israeli passport holders, citing solidarity with Palestinians and accusing the Jewish State of genocide.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

The Maldivian parliament officially voted to ban Israeli tourists from entering the tropical Indian Ocean archipelago as an act of solidarity with Gaza.

“The ratification” of the bill barring Israeli tourists “reflects the government’s firm stance in response to the continuing atrocities and ongoing acts of genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people,” said in a statement.

“The Maldives reaffirms its resolute solidarity with the Palestinian cause,” the statement read, adding that the ban was effective immediately.

A popular tourist destination for Israelis, more than 11,000 nationals from the Jewish state visited the Maldives, a tiny republic with a population of about half a million, in 2023.

However, since the onset of the war between Israel and the Hamas terror group, the majority-Muslim nation has signaled increasing hostility towards Israel.

In June 2024, the Maldives said it was considering barring Israeli passport holders from entering the country. Shortly after the announcement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued an official travel advisory urging Israelis not to visit the islands, as well as encouraging those already there to leave the country.

While the ban was being discussed, a senior Maldivian public figure made it clear that the country was looking to specifically punish Jews, rather than all people with Israeli citizenship.

Maldivian Attorney General Ahmed Usham warned that barring all Israeli passport holders would mean that Arabs with Israeli citizenship – numbering approximately two million people – would be unable to travel to the Maldives.

“The biggest concern is that there are many Palestinians with Israeli passports, millions of them. What happens when we impose a blanket ban? These are matters that need careful consideration,” Usham said at the time.

Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli Zionist activist, slammed the decision in an Instagram post.

The Maldives did not “ban entry for Palestinians after the October 7 massacre… if you raped, kidnapped, and massacred Israelis you are welcome to vacation there, but if your country defended itself against a terrorist organization you are not allowed entry,” Haddad wrote.

“They didn’t ban entry for citizens of Iran, North Korea, or Syria… only Israelis!”

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Tiny South Asian nation mulls changes to planned ban on Israeli passport holders, seeking to exclude Arab-Israelis from the prohibition on entry.

By World Israel News Staff

Weeks after announcing plans to ban Israeli nationals from entering the country, the tiny South Asian island nation-state of Maldives is rethinking the sweeping restriction.

On June 2nd, Maldives announced that in response to the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terror organization, the country would impose an entry ban on those seeking to enter on an Israeli passport.

Maldives, home to roughly half a million people, is officially entirely Islamic, with affiliation with Sunni Islam a condition for citizenship.

The Maldives government banned Israeli visitors in the 1990s and 2000s, before lifting the ban in 2010, before President Mohamed Muizu moved to reimpose the prohibition this month.

However, a committee tapped by President Muizu to plan out the new restriction and to aid Arab-Israelis impacted by the ban has since warned that the move could impact millions of Arabs holding Israeli citizenship.

Over two million of Israel’s population of 10 million are Arabs.

“The biggest concern is that there are many Palestinians with Israeli passports, millions of them,” Maldives Attorney General Ahmed Usham said at a press conference last Thursday.

“What happens when we impose a blanket ban? These are matters that need careful consideration.”

Thus far, the country’s parliament has neither taken up a bill to impose a ban on Israelis, nor had such a measure even proposed.

The current proposal under consideration would, if submitted to the parliament and passed, would not only ban travelers seeking to enter the Maldives with an Israeli passport, but an Israeli passport holders, even if they hold another citizenship and use a different passport to enter.

“We believe the best approach is to take the existing bill and amend it during committee discussions,” Usham said. “Therefore, the government will not present an additional bill.”

Israelis are still able to enter the Maldives, though Israel’s Foreign Ministry has advised Israeli nationals rethink travel there.

“In light of the Maldivian government’s decision to ban the entry of citizens holding Israeli passports, the Foreign Ministry recommends that Israeli citizens avoid all travel to the Maldives,” the minsitry said in a statement.

“This recommendation also applies to Israeli citizens holding a foreign passport, in addition to an Israeli passport. For Israeli citizens currently in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, as in the event of distress for any reason, we will find it difficult to assist.”

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US Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) proposed to condition aid to the Maldives on allowing Israelis entrance to the country.

By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner

The US Congress is preparing to take action against the Maldives over its recent decision to ban Israeli citizens from entering the country.

US Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), a staunch supporter of Israel, is spearheading legislation that would condition American aid to the Maldives on allowing Israeli citizens to enter the country, according to Axios.

The legislation, titled the Protecting Allied Travel Here (PATH) Act, comes as a response to the Maldives’ recent announcement that it would discriminate against Israeli passport holders over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

“Taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be sent to a foreign nation that has banned all Israeli citizens from traveling to their country,” Gottheimer said in a statement.

“Not only is Israel one of our greatest democratic allies, but the Maldives’ unprecedented travel ban is nothing but a blatant act of Jew hatred. They shouldn’t get a cent of American dollars until they reverse course,” Gottheimer continued.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu drafted the policy after consulting with his cabinet, according to a statement released by Muizzu’s office. Muizzu also appointed a special envoy to “assess Palestinian needs.”

“The cabinet decision includes amending necessary laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the Maldives and establishing a cabinet subcommittee to oversee these efforts,” his office said in a statement.

“The president decided to appoint a special envoy to assess Palestinian needs.”

The ban also positions the popular tourist destination alongside other members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

With this legislation, the Maldives joins Yemen, Kuwait, Iran, Bangladesh, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Algeria as countries that prevent Israeli nationals from entering their nation.

Last year, almost 11,000 Israelis traveled to the Maldives, making up 0.6 percent of all visitors, according to The Times of Israel.

The Maldives has long been criticized for its human rights record. The nation declares Sunni Islam as the state religion, and only Sunni Muslims are afforded citizenship.

All Maldivians are required to teach their children Sunni Islam. Homosexuality is illegal in the Maldives and can be punished with imprisonment, fines, or lashings.

The Maldives’ constitution states that “no law contrary to any principle of Islam can be applied.”

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Islam is the state religion of the Maldives, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

By JNS

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday issued a travel warning for the Maldives after the country declared it would bar entry to Israelis in protest against the war against Hamas in Gaza.

“In light of the Maldives government’s decision to ban the entry of citizens with Israeli passports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that Israeli citizens avoid any travel to the Maldives,” said the ministry.

“The recommendation is also valid for Israeli citizens holding a foreign passport, in addition to the Israeli passport. For Israeli citizens staying in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, since if they fall into distress for any reason, we will have a hard time helping,” the statement added.

Islam is the state religion of the Maldives, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The population is nearly 100% Sunni Muslim. According to its constitution, a non-Muslims may not become citizens.

The country is also known for its luxury resorts. According to AP, roughly 11,000 Israelis visited Maldives in 2023, comprising some 0.6% of total tourist arrivals.

Due to public anger at the war in Gaza, Maldives President Mohamed Muizu will establish a subcommittee to oversee the process of banning Israelis and appoint a special envoy to help Arabs affected by the conflict, including with the launch of a fundraising campaign, the newswire reported.

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