The Maldives has moved to ban Israeli passport holders from visiting the archipelago nation. Photo courtesy of Maldives Presidency
The Maldives has moved to ban Israeli passport holders from visiting the archipelago nation off the coast of India and Sri Lanka. About 11,000 Israelis visit each year.
Mohamed Muizzu, the president of the Maldives, signed off on the decision Sunday following a recommendation from his cabinet. The decision was announced by Ali Ihsaan, the minister of homeland security and technology. Advertisement
Muizzu has also appointed a special envoy to assess Palestinian needs and has set up a fundraising campaign to assist Palestinians with the help of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
On the heels of the decision, Israel has recommended that its citizens living in the Maldives consider leaving and recommended that Israelis who hold other passports refrain from traveling there.
Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli media personality who has been called a “defender of Israel,” attacked the Maldives for its decision on Facebook as he sought to equate the move to “apartheid.”
“They didn’t ban entry for citizens of Iran, North Korea, or Syria… only Israelis!” Haddad said. “They may have beautiful islands, but their policies are the ugliest out there. Supporters of antisemitic terrorism!” Advertisement
